Be A Quitter

We know, we know. We just taught you how to make positive affirmations to help reach your goals, how important it is to stick to an exercise routine (don’t forget to walk today) and why you should get plenty of sleep every night-but this is different.

While some say that “quitters never win,” kicking the bad habit of smoking in the butt-the cigarette butt, that is-can help lower your blood pressure. The same goes for overindulging in alcohol.

We all know that smoking is bad for the lungs, but it also can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. In addition, smoking, secondhand smoke, and even vaping can temporarily increase blood pressure and cause fatty plaque buildup in your arteries.

Alcohol can have a similar effect on the body. Not only can frequent drinking cause weight gain, having three drinks in one sitting can temporarily spike your blood pressure. Binge drinking over time also can lead to long-term hypertension.

Knowing the definitions of excessive drinking may help you understand how much alcohol is too much and how cutting back can lower your blood pressure.

• Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men.
• Moderate drinking is up to one drink a day for women and two for men.
• Heavy drinking is more than three drinks daily for women and four for men.

Experts say one way to reduce alcohol consumption is to replace the “first drink” or “habit drink” with a non-alcoholic option. For example, if you have a glass of wine while making dinner, replace it with sparkling water. And, if you tend to have one more drink after dinner, replace that with a cup of soothing tea.

Though vices aren’t always easy to give up, studies indicate that quitting these habits could add as much as 10 years to your lifespan. Ten years. Think about that-what could you do with 10 more years?

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