Kevin Russell, Natasha Larivee, Cameron Ashe, and Matt Stewart, LIC Clerks, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, Horizon's Miramichi Regional Hospital

Hi everyone!

Sadly, this is our last blog post, as we leave our third year of medical school behind and transition into our fourth and final year.

We are trading in the small-town lifestyle we've been accustomed to in Miramichi for new experiences across the country in places like Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver.

Today, we would like to leave you with five tips you can do to try and maximize your lifestyle.

We know that some aspects of our health are beyond our control (i.e. genetics), but the following tips are some things you can work on.

Tip #1: Get in touch with your health. This may seem obvious, but there is a huge benefit in learning about your physical and mental health. What's going on in your body and mind? Do you feel healthy? Do you need help? Are you curious about your mental health? A great place to start is the Government of Canada's Mental Health and Wellness site. Your health care provider is a great resource to help you meet your health goals and to provide you with some guidance and information. Don't be afraid to seek help if you feel like something with your health isn't right.

Tip #2: Exercise! This really is like a magic pill for your health. Ideally, aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 times a week. We know life is busy, but you can always break up your activity into smaller chunks. For example, you could exercise for 10 minutes at three different times throughout the day. Not only is it good for weight management, but helps you reduce stress, build muscle (the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn while sitting!) and improves your bone density. Check out these easy-to-read Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines.

Tip #3: Know your blood pressure target. In general, a normal blood pressure is 120/80 or lower. For the low risk general population, with no cardiovascular risk factors, you should target to have your blood pressure <140/<90. However, if you are diabetic or have more cardiovascular risk factors (family history, smoking, obesity), you will want to keep your blood pressure <130/<80. Find out more in Hypertension Canada's new hypertension guidelines, and read our blog on hypertension, here.

Tip #4: Eat veggies and protein foods and make water your drink of choice. Dieting is hard and not what we are advocating for. Aim to make small changes that you can stick to in the long term. Small healthy changes maintained for life will have more benefit to your health than yo-yo dieting. Some general advice is to squeeze in multiple servings of fruit and vegetables a day and opt for whole grains and nice lean protein like turkey and chicken. Some sources of good fat are avocados, nuts, like almonds and cashews, and fish. See the new Canada's Food Guide for more information.

Tip #5: Manage stress.This is another common topic in the world of wellness. In today's busy world, it is easy to get bogged down by to-do lists and responsibilities, whether at home or at work. Although stress is not going anywhere anytime soon, it is important to figure out ways to deal with it that work for you. This means finding time in your schedule to do things that YOU like and that make you feel good. For some people it is yoga, but it can be something as simple as taking a walk in your favourite park. 

Our challenge to you this week:

• Write down 5 health goals. These could include any area of your health, such as physical, mental, social, emotional, occupational and intellectual.
• Take the stairs to work each day of the week. If there are no stairs at work, try to do 5 push-ups or crunches each morning or night.
• Take your blood pressure at your local pharmacy.
• Drink 2 glasses of water every day. Try to change a few of those glasses of soda or cups of coffee to water!
• Take a 5-minute time out. Take some time each day to either focus on your surroundings and be mindful or do something YOU enjoy.