HEALTHY HOLIDAYS: UA RESEARCHER OFFERS ADVICE FOR BODY AND SOUL

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - With the Christmas season well underway, many people are already experiencing holiday stress. But a University of Arkansas health scientist cautions people to allow themselves some comfort and joy this season. Their physical health may depend on it.

Every year in December and January, hospitals see a surge of admissions, particularly in the cardiac care units, said Lori Turner, assistant professor of health sciences. "In part, that increase happens because people abandon their exercise plans, eat more food and drink more alcohol," she explained. "But another factor is simply the stress of the holidays."

According to Turner, stress and anxiety can dramatically contribute to long-term health problems. With co-authors Werner Hoeger of Boise State University and Brent Hafen of Brigham Young University, Turner recently completed the third edition of an introductory health textbook called Wellness: Guidelines for a Healthy Lifestyle. The book approaches health holistically: not only addressing fitness and nutrition but also discussing how social, spiritual and emotional factors can impact a person’s physical well-being.

"There is a real physiological link between how you feel emotionally and the state of your overall health," Turner said. "Emotions influence hormone levels, which in turn affect your immunity, your amount of circulating fat and your ability to heal."

Studies have shown that over a lifetime, negative emotions and a pessimistic outlook lower a person’s quality of life and subtract years from life expectancy. In addition, certain undesirable personality traits can make people more prone to chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

But what about the holidays - that brief, intense period of stress between November and January? Turner says that even such short-lived episodes of anxiety can be detrimental to long-term health, especially if the stress recurs each year. Not only can the holidays aggravate existing conditions - ranging from high blood pressure to alcoholism - but the annual anxiety can contribute to lifelong patterns that predispose people to those conditions, she said.

"There are so many reasons we feel overwhelmed at the holidays: the shopping, the cleaning, the cooking, the traveling, hosting houseguests and dealing with dysfunctional family members," Turner said. "On top of that, there’s the constant social pressure to feel happy during the holidays even when we don’t."

• Make a list, check it twice: Accept the fact that the holidays may be stressful and be prepared, said Turner. Identify common problems and plan your approach to dealing with them. This may include buying gifts or baking goodies ahead of time, inviting the kids to decorate the tree on their own, maybe even making hotel reservations for incoming family.
• Naughty and nice: When dealing with visiting relatives, Turner recommends being up front about house rules. "This may mean warning Great Aunt Mildred that if she wants to smoke, she’ll have to go out on the porch," Turner said. Communicate the rules ahead of time and then stick to them even if your family considers you a grinch for it. "It’s okay to establish limits even on how long they stay," Turner added. "Being in control will help reduce your stress."
• Silent nights: Finally, Turner suggests cutting back some of the noise and activity that can make the holidays chaotic. "Don’t write a zillion Christmas cards if you don’t have time. Don’t travel on the holidays if you’d rather settle in at home. Identify what will make the holiday a pleasure and indulge in that," she said.

Following these tips can help people relax and enjoy the holiday season, can increase their pleasure and improve their overall attitude - all important elements of a healthy lifestyle. And Turner states that changing your attitude about the holiday season may be a first step toward changing your everyday life to revolve around a more healthful outlook.

The integration of physical and emotional fitness represents a relatively new trend in the field of health science. In the early 1900s, people’s health and life expectancies were mainly determined by the spread of infectious disease. With the development of antibiotics and with advances in hygiene, however, people overcame infectious disease and began living longer.

"Now people succumb to chronic conditions - heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis. These are lifestyle diseases, multifaceted in their causes," said Turner. "It’s no longer a single bacterial agent that causes disease; it’s behavior, diet, fitness and genetics. As a result, health has to be approached much more broadly than before."

Over the past 15 years, health scientists have begun to recognize that physical, social and psychological health all contribute to life expectancy as well as to the quality of life that people achieve. As a result more and more studies are being conducted to identify how these factors affect people’s long-term health.

In her textbook chapters, Turner compiles many of these studies to create a complete profile of healthy living. Her results show that people with the greatest overall health tend to be those who maintain a strong social support network of family or friends, who exercise and eat a nutritious diet, and who tackle life with a positive outlook.

Turner admits that this too can seem overwhelming. After all, it’s hard enough to eat right and exercise without having to smile through it too. But fostering a positive attitude can easily integrate into a person’s other daily activities, she said.

Turner recommends repeating positive affirmations to yourself as you exercise. Also, replacing some of the time you would have spent watching TV with personally fulfilling activities - taking a bath, writing a letter - can naturally improve a person’s attitude.

And she adds some caution as well: "Tackle one change at a time. Don’t tell yourself that starting today you’re going to run three miles each morning, attend church every week, fix your marriage and give up smoking," she said. "As soon as one of those fails, they’ll all fall through."

Also, don’t become a perfectionist, Turner cautions. Expecting too much out of yourself only leads to dissatisfaction.

"Once you start to care about yourself, you start to care for yourself," said Turner. "So the best possible thing you can do for your health is to invest in self-esteem."

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