May is Better Sleep Month! What a great excuse to hit the snooze button and sleep in! Sleep is essential to life, and especially important from birth to age 21. Sleep is the time when the body rests, recovers and grows the most. Doctors recommend getting at least 8 hours of sleep.

Why is sleep so important? It's because after a full day of school, work, sports and other events, your body needs a break. If you don't get enough sleep, your body's cognitive capacity, memory and productivity levels start to decrease. Not getting enough sleep is called sleep deprivation. Some symptoms of sleep deprivation include irritability and bloodshot eyes.

Sleep is so important that even the Harvard School of Public Health has created a forum to learn more about sleep from professionals in the medical field. See interesting videos about sleep and its importance here.

Why are people not getting enough sleep? We're supposed to spend 1/3rd of the day sleeping, right? For students, it may be due to an overbearing load of homework, working a late shift, or having a loaded extracurricular schedule. For adults, it may be due to stress or lifestyle habits like staying up late to watch a TV show. But when we consider how important sleep is to us, shouldn't getting a good night's rest be a priority? Unfortunately, sleep has increasingly moved lower on our priority list due to the Internet, email and TV attracting most of our attention. In 2009, the CDC released a report that stated "only one-third of adults say they're getting enough sleep."

So what can we do to get better sleep? According to the Better Sleep Council, we should:

• Make sleep a priority
• Create a bedtime routine
• Keep the room dark and quiet (no computers or TV)
• Avoid alcohol or caffeine late at night
• Go to bed on a full stomach instead of a half-empty one.

To learn more about getting better sleep, visit their website.

As we head into May, let's remember Better Sleep Month and make better sleep a priority in our lives. Try going to bed at least 30 minutes earlier than you normally do. The results may be interesting!

April Is National Stress Awareness Month! It's time to relax and take a deep breath. Instead of sitting there all stressed out, why don’t you go and look at the positive side of things? Remember, stressed backwards is desserts!

Stress impacts your health in multiple ways. According to the Mayo Clinic, strain is one of the physical negative effects of stress. Strain may appear as fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, insomnia and general reduced functionality. Depression and anxiety are closely related to the perception of stress in one’s life and can contribute to drug and alcohol abuse along with other forms of increased risk taking.

Here is the exact definition of stress: stress is an internal process that occurs when a person is faced with a demand that he or she feels cannot be met. But in my opinion, there is no such thing as failure; you can do whatever you want as long as you try! Stress is any change in your normal routine or health. Stress can occur when bad things or good things happen. Getting a raise or promotion is stress, just as getting fired from your job is stress. Stress can be contagious to loved ones also!

But there are so many ways to overcome stress. It's only as hard as you make it! Go and get a massage or a facial; trust me, it helps a lot more than you think! Or just take a day off and hang out with some of your best friends and family members. If it is work that is stressing you out, don’t forget that you still have to have some “me” time. Put the pen and keyboard away until you can handle what you have to do and be more relieved and relaxed!

Yoga is a very popular way to relieve stress because it's a calm, relaxing, quiet time for you. Get yourself a yoga video or go to yoga class at your nearest gym. Not only does it relieve stress, but it is also extremely good for your health and helps you get that perfect physique. A yoga session several days a week will make you tend to look at life through the lens of simplicity. You will fall in love with it!

Another way to relieve stress is meditation. It helps your mind focus and relax, and it's perfect quiet and alone time, unless you choose to do it with a friend. I prefer spending that time with a friend because including a friend is always more fun!

Exercise is also a fabulous way of reducing stress; it will make your day seem far less tense. If you’re into weight lifting and hardcore sports, take out all your stress on those machines and activities! Not to mention, you'll feel better about yourself because you just went and exercised.

Counseling can also help, and it doesn’t always have to be an official session from a someone with a license either. Just talking to your friends or family and letting stuff out of your system can make you feel a lot better! Learn more about counseling from the American Counseling Association (ACA).

There are thousands of side effects to stress. Did you know that tress could even lead to hair loss and aging quicker? Nobody wants that! So make time for some uninterrupted relaxation for you start feeling the effects of stress. Everyone is different and responds differently to stress. The main thing to remember is to stop for a second, take a deep breath, and relax, and think about the bright side of things!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Shape Up Sugar Land website for the many tips, suggestions and even coupons that can assist in stress reduction!

Follow MyPlate and Live A Nutritious Life!

March is National Nutrition Month! That’s right! It’s time to get off of your couches (or your desk if you’re reading this from a computer…) and go exercise! Let’s continue our New Year's Resolution to exercise more! Why waste our mornings going to Starbucks? Let’s get out and actually make those 6AM jogs! How about going to the gym on the weekends? Yeah! The family can even come along as well! What a great idea! By now, I hope you’re as pumped up about exercise as I am (nod your head so that I’m not the only one…)!

But exercise is only half the battle to living a healthier life. Nutrition is the other half! The definition of nutrition is: the act or process of nourishing or being nourished (credit to dictionary.com). For those that are thinking, “What does that mean?” I’ll give you the definition of nourish: to sustain with food or nutriment; supply
with what is necessary for life, health, and growth (credit to dictionary.com).

Still confused? To make it even simpler, here’s the main point: Nutrition = Eating right. There! Eating right might sound complex, but it really isn’t…just follow “MyPlate”! This tool helps you decide how much of one food group is recommended for your appropriate age and gender. Learn more about it here.

Although it’s difficult to strictly adhere to these guidelines, eating close to the recommended amount of food is just one key to living a more nutritious and ultimately healthier life! A word to the wise though: it’s not easy…trust me! As a football player in high school, I’m expected to keep my body is the best physical shape it can possibly be. That means cutting out all junk food and empty calories. Sigh. Goodbye popcorn, candy, and sodas! Hello protein, dairy, and carbohydrates!

I’ll admit it, sometimes I secretly sneak in that Snickers bar. And okay, maybe I’ll eat some candy once in a while. I might also eat a Klondike Bar…maybe even some ice cream! But I digress! My point is that it’s OKAY to indulge in some junk food occasionally (everybody say, “HALLELUJAH!). Just make sure you’re not consuming too much of it. Junk food is a part of “MyPlate."

So as we go through the month of March, let’s remember that it’s National Nutrition Month. Let’s make a commitment to eating right and making healthier food choices. It’s not as hard as it seems when you make a daily choice to eat right. Thanks for reading! To learn more about nutrition, go to www.eatright.org.

Protecting Your Heart and Your Eyes in February

February the month of love, and hearts are everywhere. Unfortunately, Coronary Heart Disease is everywhere too. This month, as we celebrate American Heart Month, know the risks to your heart.

Affecting about 16 million people in the United States, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is one of the most prevalent diseases in American society. Often causing heart attacks, CHD is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Knowing the signs of an oncoming heart attack is crucial to changing that statistic.

The symptoms of an oncoming heart attack include discomfort in the upper body, such as the chest, shortness of breath, nausea, cold sweat, and lightheadedness. Identifying these symptoms before a heart attack will allow for quicker medical assistance.

Despite the frightening numbers, CHD can be avoided if you take certain precautions and steps to keep your heart healthy. Choose food without added saturated and trans fat as well as low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Cutting down on foods with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, high in dietary cholesterol, or with added sugars goes a long way to help the heart. Reduction of alcohol and salt intake and controlling portion sizes are crucial steps to a healthy heart as well. Physical activity is a necessity in maintaining a healthy heart.

You can learn more about CHD and ways to keep your heart healthy at these websites:
Center for Disease Control
PubMed Health
Web MD

February is also Low Vision Awareness Month, which raises awareness for vision problems. Milions of Americans suffer a slow loss of vision, which interferes with daily activities. Later in life, many Americans develop AMD, or macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of vision loss and results in blindness.

In a world of technology and screens, it is important to keep our eyes healthy. When using a computer or another electronic screen, place the screen about two feet away from your eye. Screens can cause eye strain, so it is important not to sit in front of them for long periods of time.

Simple actions can be done to protect your eyes and reduce the risk of getting AMD in the future. Your diet, level of physical activity, and smoking can all effect your eye health. Wear sunglasses when outside and avoid looking directly at the sun. Maintaining control of your blood pressure is also crucial to the health of your eyes.

Learn more at these website about keeping your eyes healthy:
Prevent Blindness America
AMD Alliance

SUSL Youth and Red Ribbon Day -- Every Day
In Support of AIDS Awareness

What is SUSL Youth doing in the community in an effort to support our mission to promote wellness during December, International AIDS Awareness Month? They are:

1. Assessing the needs of the community by asking questions and raising awareness.
2. Wearing a red ribbon daily for the month of December to make their peers and people in their community aware of the dilemma with AIDS/HIV in our adolescent population.
3. Voluntarily educating peers and FBISD with the following information:

HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune system, the body's defense against diseases. Approximately 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV, and yet one out of five don't know it. World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1, in various areas around the world. Over the years, it has become one of the most recognized health days, as well as a key community awareness topic, to commemmorate those who have passed on from such a disease, and to celebrate the increase in technology, treatment and prevention. To demonstrate concern and to spread awareness about AIDS, the red ribbon symbolizes AIDS awareness and is worn by people throughout the year, not necessarily just on AIDS Day.

The most common ways HIV is passed on are:

1. Unprotected sex;
2. Sharing infected needles, syringes or other injecting drug equipment; or
3. From an HIV-positive mother (to her child) during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding (but with effective treatment and care, the risk of transmission can be greatly reduced).

Currently there is no cure for HIV, but treatment can keep the virus under control. Side effects may be present with treatment, but people on HIV treatment can live active, healthy, normal lifestyles. The earlier HIV is diagnosed, the more effective treatment will be.

This information is based on the Texas Department State Health Service and the 17th Texas HIVSTD conference presented in Austin, Texas, May 2010. Meyer, J. MD, Lu, Y. MD, Chronister, K., PhD, Sayegh, A., PhD. (2010). Epidemiology of HIV and AIDS in Houston/Harris Co. Bureau of Epidemiology, HIV/STD Surveillance Houston Dept. of Health and Human Services, Funded by CDC Cooperative Agreement 04017.

Much education is needed about HIV/AIDS in the Sugar Land adolescent population, as evidenced by the following quotes from area high school and middle school students [All initials are made up]:

J, age 15, stated that "the only way to get AIDS is by having sex, real sex, not oral sex because that is not sex."

X, 13, noted, "You have to be an adult to get AIDS, and then you die."

Q, 17, says, "If you're smart and you know that the person you are with is a nice and clean person, you don't ever have to worry about it."

September 2011 Health and Wellness Observances
Vikash Ravi and Chandra Kovvali

ANNNNND there goes summer! So now that we’ve survived through the record-breaking heat which allowed almost no activity outside, let’s hope that September (along with school) allows a little bit more room to breathe. So along with a new month, comes new awareness’s that’ll make you sound like a genius if you ever talk about them.

The organization America on the Move, a UT health system, has entitled September as STEPtember, a month that celebrates the benefit of active living and healthy eating. Seeing as how school has started, and most of us aren’t early birds, the most basic thing that you could do is eat breakfast (like a sit-down cereal, oatmeal, or a pancake buffet type-thing… not simply a granola bar) and when you get home from school that day take about 20-30 minutes to just do something ACTIVE. This could range anywhere from playing a sport to going to the gym. Or if you’re anything like me, you could just run around the house from room to room like a madman.

Another wonderful association for this month is fruit and veggie month! Honestly, both of these are underrated, yet quite delicious. Especially the fruits. Fruits (apples, oranges, watermelons, cranberries, dragon fruit, papaya, etc.) and vegetables (tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, celery, asparagus, etc.) are actually really tasty and they’re promoted by pretty much every health organization in the country. Therefore, we know it’s good for us too! It’d be nice to slip those in there as a snack and maybe take lunch from home with a deli sandwich every day. It would taste good and it’s healthy for us too. Win-win situation, I would think.

Also, something that may be less known is National Cholesterol Education Month. This month is the best time to get your cholesterol checked and take steps to lower it if it’s too high. Cholesterol levels tend to be overlooked until something really bad happens to your body as a result of the levels being too high. Prevention is ALWAYS better than treatment, so go get that checked out and encourage your family to do the same. Who knows, you might end up saving a loved one’s life. After all, high blood cholesterol affects 65 million Americans. One of those people could be someone you know. This time is also a good time to learn about cholesterol levels and educate yourself for future reference. If our generation learns it now, we could wipe out the percentage of the population that is affected in the future.

Last, and definitely not least (in fact it’s probably the most well known) is WHOLE GRAINS month. You know how when you go to the grocery store and there are some cereals that have a whole grain stamp on it? And maybe on some boxes, they promote the fact that it’s a whole grain product and that it’s good for you? Well, the reason for that is because whole grains (or foods made from them) contain all the basic elements of naturally occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed. So basically, this is one of the healthiest foods out there and it’s incredible for your body and helps with a healthy lifestyle. Whole Grains Council also offer some special promotional events and such for this month, and that’s ALWAYS fun.

So, there are the major health awareness’s for this month! Enjoy school, and most importantly, be HAPPY (and of course, don’t stress!) Have a great school year!

August 2011 Health and Wellness Observances
Donald Jones (Hightower High School)

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. The goal of this month is to ensure that the community is reminded and aware of the importance of immunization. Now is a great time to be sure that your family is up to date on their immunizations. During this month, children begin to enroll and enter school, older students become college students, and parents and doctors help make certain that the upcoming flu season makes a smooth and sterile transition. Vaccines are important because:

• Disease prevention is key to public health.
• Vaccines help prevent infectious diseases and save lives.
• Vaccines are held responsible for the control and stability of many infectious diseases such as polio and measles.
• Protect the health of our community.
• Help slow down and stop disease outbreaks.

There are a tremendous amount of reasons why vaccines are important, and the list could go on and on, but they primary focus of why vaccines are important is because it helps to prolong life and to avoid serious after-effects of an infection even if we get through it. We vaccinate in order to protect our future. If we continue to vaccinate now, parents in the future will be able to trust and be assured that diseases like polio and meningitis won't infect, cripple, or kill children. Vaccinations are one of the few best ways to put an end to the serious effects of certain diseases.

August is also National Night Out. National Night Out is a community-police awareness-raising event held the first Tuesday of August. The overall goal of this event is to increase awareness about police programs involved in the community, such as neighborhood watches and drug prevention. In simplicity, National Night Out is a time for you to reach out to your neighbors and create a caring bond through block parties, festivals, and many other events to bring neighbors together. Activities for this event include:

• Block party
• Cookout
• Parade
• Jump rope contest
• Hula hoop contest
• Barbeque
• Street dance and many more!

As the years go by, participation in this event has skyrocketed and this year, over 15,500 communities are expected to take part. Texas will celebrate National Night Out on October 4, due to high temperatures during summer. Be sure to join the 37 million people that are expected to participate to strengthen the neighborhood spirit and the police-community partnerships.

July is the national month of eye safety injury. Several tips on eye injury causes and defense are provided by the Vision Learning Center, a part of Prevent Blindness America.
Common causes for eye injuries are:

• Flying objects (bits of metal, glass)
• Tools
• Particles
• Chemicals
• Harmful radiation
• Any combination of these or other hazards

Most of these are common especially outside the house, be it school or working. It’s always important, then, to make sure that your eyes are properly protected.

Three things you can do as a best defense against an eye injury are to :

1. Know the eye safety dangers at work- so basically make a complete hazard assessment
2. Eliminate all these hazards prior to any activity you’re about to do
3. And, of course, wear proper eye protection (safety glasses, goggles, face shields, welding helmets, full-face respirators, all when necessary)

July is also the month of UV safety and clean park week! You could actually couple this together couldn’t you?

UV safety is very important because, well the sun is always shining down on our bodies and while it’s good for us in some ways, it’s also very bad if there’s too much of the rays. SOO how would you protect your body?

1. Sunglasses are actually very important when you go outside, especially when it’s burning hot juts like sugar land summers
2. Sunscreen shouldn’t just be put on, but in fact you have to let it sit there for a bit before going out otherwise…. Well you don’t have any protection o:

Especially in the hot summers we get here, it’s VERY important to stay safe in the sun. In fact, the safer you are, the less wrinkles you get as you get older! That has to be a good incentive, I would think J

And, last but not least, CLEAN PARK WEEK which is from july 1st to july 7th so when you get a chance, stroll down to your neighborhood park, or oyster creek, or pecan park and just help out a bit. In fact, go ahead and take a big group and do it as a side thing while you party over there, and you can feel good about the fact that the park is clean.

Remember to take plenty of trash bags and some gloves (cause you really don’t know what you’re picking up sometimes.) And if you see anyone throwing stuff on the ground, just tell them not to do that once and it’ll be okay.

So have fun this month, wearing you’re sunglasses which serve to protect your eyes from UV rays while you’re cleaning up your local park!

The months of June and July are both recognized as Fireworks Safety Month.  Ensure a safe and fun summer by following general safety tips and rules regarding fireworks made by The National Council on Fireworks Safety. 

• Always be sure to use fireworks outdoors only, in a clear, open area, and always have water handy, such as in a bucket or use a hose or even a fire extinguisher;
• it is recommended that you always have someone assigned as a "fireman" who is alert and at the ready in case of  an emergency.
• Obey local laws, make sure to double check and find out if it is legal to use fireworks where you live. 
• Only use fireworks as intended and buy them from licensed, reliable fireworks dealers.  Altering, combining, or creating your own fireworks is extremely dangerous, so don't attempt to make your own fireworks. 
• Never relight or reuse a firework, if it does not work, wait twenty minutes and soak it in a bucket of water.
• Use common sense by keeping clear of fireworks, using fireworks one at a time, and not using them as weapons. 
• Remember alcohol and fireworks do not mix, always have a "designated lighter" to prevent any accidents.
• Because of the noise and lights, fireworks may frighten animals, so be careful when you bring a pet to view the show.
• It is recommended that only persons over the age of twelve should use fireworks and people handling fireworks wear safety goggles or protective eyewear.

Make the most out of this summer by celebrating safety!

June is also National Home Safety Month.  Safe Kids and the Home Safety Council have merged into Safe Kids USA and their mission is to prevent the accidental injuries of children.  Stay safe always whether it is at work, home, school, or anywhere in between.  For more information how to stay safe at your house, give their website a visit: http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics

The National Wellness Institute hopes to promote and teach people the value of a life full of wellness, by celebrating June as National Wellness Month.

June 1 through 7 is  National Headache Awareness Week,  
June 1 is Stand for Children Day, created by Stand for Children whose purpose is to encourage parents to take action on children's issues, especially improving public schools.
June 5 is World Environment Day,
June 5 is also National Trail’s day, so go outside, visit your nearest park and take
advantage of the summer heat, make sure to pack plenty of water!
June 5 is also home to National Hunger Awareness Day, which is about raising awareness
of the hunger problem, donate to your local food bank, making a change - big or small –
can impact the issue of hunger in our country.

June 6 is National Cancer Survivors Breakthroughs in cancer research are happening every day.  In order to show the world that life after cancer is still meaningful and productive Day and is celebrated annually in both Canada and the United States.

The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation defines a "cancer survivor" as anyone living with a history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life. National Cancer Survivors Day affords your community an opportunity to demonstrate that it has an active, productive cancer survivor population.

There's a Mother's Day and a Father's day, but what about the children?  The second Sunday in June, this year June 13 is National Children's Day.

The week of June 14 through June 20 is National Men's Health Week conveniently ending on Father's Day.  But you do not have to be male to participate on June 14 in World Blood Donor Day
Finally the month of June ends with National HIV Testing Day on June 27.  Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is a virus that can infect the human body and cause Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS which severely damages the immune system and if left untreated, proceeds to death.  HIV is transmitted when fluids of an infected host get into the body of someone who is not.  The virus must get inside the body in order to infect a person, therefore the two main ways of getting HIV/AIDS is via unsafe sex or unsafe drug use.  Both of which should be avoided to maintain a healthy life which is the purpose of Shape Up Sugar Land.  Although there is no cure to these diseases there is treatment, which includes drugs to stop the HIV/AIDS virus from reproducing in the body. 

May is National Fitness Month. During the month of May, organizations and individuals all over the U.S. are encouraged to promote physical activity so that everyone can lead happier and healthier lives. The goal of this month is to increase awareness of the benefits of physical activity in relation to health and happiness. By engaging in regular physical activity and encouraging others to do so too, we can improve the health of ourselves and those around us. We can all “commit to be fit” by participating in regular physical activity ourselves and spreading the message to others. Looking after yourself also means taking care of your mental well-being, and that of those you care about. May is also known as ‘National Mental Health Month. We need to focus on relaxation techniques like meditation, nurture your relations etc to stay mentally fit.

The issues of asthma and allergies are well known. This month is also known for generating awareness of asthma and related allergies (Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month). Asthma is a disease of the lungs in which the airways become blocked or narrowed causing breathing difficulty. This chronic disease affects 20 million Americans.  Allergies are diseases of the immune system that cause an overreaction to substances called "allergens." With proper management of asthma and allergies people can still lead healthy active lives.

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. It helps celebrate nurses and all the excellent work they do on a daily basis in emergency rooms, school based clinics, homeless shelters and other organizations with a strong commitment to patient safety.

To recognize the consequences of a poor night's sleep – higher stress, increased mistakes, difficulty concentrating, May is also known as ‘Better Sleep Month’. People should be aware of the negative impact of nicotine and alcohol on sleep. Children and adults should have a good night’s sleep to start the day right feeling fresh and have the ability to focus on their work.

Breathing fresh air is vital for survival. Having clean air is important to our health. In May we also need to focus on the quality of air we inhale by aptly naming it as ‘Clean Air Month’.

American Chiropractic Association is also emphasizing on the benefits of good posture by celebrating May as ‘Correct Posture month’.

Maintaining a good vision prevents blindness and other eye related issues. May is Healthy Vision Month, a national eye health observance established by the National Eye Institute to provide an insight of the significance of a healthy eye sight.

Knowledge is the key to prevention of diseases like Hepatitis, heart attack, osteoporosis, arthritis, high blood pressure, skin cancer, Huntington and other diseases that affect millions of people all over the world. May is also known as Hepatitis Awareness Month, Huntington's Disease Awareness Month, National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Awareness month, National Stroke Awareness Month, National Osteoporosis Awareness Prevention Month and National Stroke Awareness Month. It is very essential to be educated about these diseases as prevention is better than cure.

The League of American Bicyclists is the national sponsor of Bike Month and they are promoting Bike-to-Work Week 2011 from May 16-20 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 20. Please bike to work confidently and safely this May.

April is known for National Alcohol Awareness Month. There are several organizations throughout the world whose mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness in communities throughout the world. The aim is to promote awareness of the negative impact of alcohol on one’s health. By creating communities where individuals and faith-based organizations collectively take action to prevent substance abuse and domestic violence, one can lead can a healthy lifestyle. One should always remember to “rethink their drink” before consuming an alcoholic beverage.

April 7th is recognized as World Health Day. This day is committed to antimicrobial resistance, which is a major source of concern to patient care and disease control throughout the world. Antimicrobial resistance is a prominent hindrance to success in controlling HIV, malaria and tuberculosis—three of the world's leading infectious killers. This recurring issue also makes it complicated to treat hospital-acquired infections, facilitates the surfacing of "superbugs" that are immune to major antibiotics, and creates the need for complex treatments. The primary goal of World Health Day 2011 is to raise community awareness of leading factors that contribute to antimicrobial resistance. Other goals are to find feasible and alternative solutions to prevent these diseases as well as to encourage the execution of policies and practices that can avert antimicrobial resistance.