Healthy Lifestyles Online – March 21 Edition

LeConte’s Healthy Lifestyles is a health and wellness publication printed monthly in local newspapers serving Sevier County and South Knoxville. And here online! We hope you find this information healthful.

Table of Contents

Hospital Hosts Community Health Fair in Pigeon Forge
Now Accepting Applications for Summer Junior Volunteers
Covenant Cards Now Available Online!
Stop Smoking Today
March is Athletic Training Month
Download this edition

Hospital Hosts Community Health Fair in Pigeon Forge

LeConte Medical Center, in conjunction with the City of Pigeon Forge, is pleased to host their annual spring health fair event on Friday, March 24, 9 – 11 a.m. The health fair event will feature free health screenings, and reduced-price lab work, and is open to the public. Some of the free screenings that will be available are blood pressure checks, bone density screening, carotid ultrasound screening, balance screening, body fat analysis and more. Local healthcare providers and health specialists will be on-hand with free, helpful health information.

The event will be held in the gym at the Pigeon Forge Community Center, located at 170 Community Center Drive in Pigeon Forge. No appointments necessary. If you have any additional questions, call (865) 453-9355.

Now Accepting Applications for Summer Junior Volunteers

LeConte Medical Center is now accepting applications from teenagers (ages 14 – 17 by May 1, 2017) who are interested in volunteering at the medical center and nursing home this summer. To be considered for the summer program students must make and maintain A/B grades, complete all application materials on time, and commit to six weeks of service during the summer, providing four hours of service weekly.

All applications and accompanying forms on the medical center’s website and are are due by Friday, April 14, 2017. If you have any questions please contact Mary in the Volunteer Services office at (865) 446-8406.

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Apply Today!

Complete details and application materials are available at lecontemedicalcenter.com/juniorvolunteers.

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Covenant Cards Now Available Online!

Want to send a card to a loved one who is hospitalized at LeConte Medical Center? Afraid it won’t make it to the hospital by mail before they’ve gone home? Now you can access Covenant Cards on our website to send to your hospitalized friends or family members.

You select the design of the card you want to send, customize with your message, and click “send!” We’ll print out the card, and one of our volunteers will hand-deliver your greeting to the patient’s room.  Visit www.lecontemedicalcenter.com/cards to send a card to a loved one today!

Stop Smoking Today

Ready to set sail to a healthier, smoke-free you? Our tried and true quit strategies are easy to get right from your smartphone with Covenant Health’s Stop Smoking Mobile App.

The Stop Smoking mobile app lets you create a profile to identify the number of cigarettes you smoke on a daily basis and the price per pack, as well as the “triggers” that keep your need for cigarettes active. Based on a short questionnaire, the app will then generate a realistic “quit date” for you and will help you track how many cigarettes you smoke each day, as well as recording those factors that keep you smoking and make it difficult to stop. Daily monitoring and gradual reduction of the number of cigarettes you smoke, based on eliminating the triggers, should help reduce your reliance on smoking to get through the day. As an added bonus, the app will show you how much money you’ve saved!

The app is available for iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch® or for Android using Google Play™. and Sail away to a healthier you! The development of this app was generously funded by a grant from the Will Rogers Institute.

How to Stop Smoking Now

Get Going

• One of the rewards for quitting smoking is better self-esteem
• Talk with your doctor about smoking cessation aids that are available to you
• Keep a daily journal to learn what triggers your craving to smoke
• Tell close friends and family that you are going to stop smoking
• Pick a quit date
• Develop a Plan for Success!
• Implement your plan!

Have alternatives when the craving strikes…

• Enjoy healthy snacks (i.e. fruits, raw vetetables, small piece of dark chocolate)
• gum or hard candies can sometimes satisfy cravings
• Learn breathing relaxation techniques
• Drink water
• Call or text a friend or relative

Rewards for Success

• Spend money saved on something special, such as whitening your teeth, starting a new hobby, vacations, dinner and a movie, or a gym membership (talk with your doctor before starting any exercise routine)
• Enjoy the new self-esteem of being a non-smoker
• Celebrate your gift of better health

What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Smoking?

Timeline of what happens after your last cigarette:

20 minutes

• Blood pressure decreases
• Pulse rate decreases

8 hours

• Carbon monoxide decreases
• Energy level starts increasing

24 – 48 hours

• Blood flow to your heart increases
• Sense of taste and smell improve

2 weeks – 3 months

• Circulation increases
• Walking becomes easier
• Lung and throat cancer risks are half the level of a pack-per-day smoker

10 years

• Lung cancer rate is nearly identical to a nonsmoker

Dealing with Slip-Ups

• Acknowledge the slip-up
• Think about what triggered you to smoke
• Go back to your “Plan for Success”
• Throw away your cigarettes
• Stay away from people or places that led to the slip up
• Don’t give up — start over

March is Athletic Training Month

Promoting safety in our area schools and recreation venues, LeConte Medical Center is proud to provide athletic training services to all Sevier County high schools, Cocke County high schools, Rocky Top Sports World, and The Ripken Experience. Thank you to our team of certified athletic trainers and other medical professionals who help keep our community athletes safe during play!