Take a Healthy Step: Quitting Smoking

This month we are asking all our fans and followers to take a healthy step. If you are a smoker, you probably are aware of all the negative repercussions of smoking.  But self-shaming is often a terrible motivator for change.  Think instead about all the positive aspects of quitting and you may feel more motivated to change your life for the better.  You owe it to yourself to feel great!

Did you know…

 

Immediately after your last cigarette:

§  No more burns in your clothes, furniture, and car.

• Your body’s healing processes begin.

20 minutes after your last cigarette:

• Your blood pressure lowers.
• Your hands and feet warm up.

8 hours after your last cigarette:

• The carbon monoxide level in your blood returns to normal.

24 hours after your last cigarette:

• Your heart attack risk decreases.
• You are less short of breath.
• You save money ($6 per pack).

3 days after your last cigarette:

• Your family and friends are happier.
• Your senses of taste and smell improve.
• Your skin begins to look and feel better.
• You have increased energy.

About 1 week after your last cigarette:

• Your mood improves.
• You are less irritable.

2 weeks after your last cigarette:

• Your circulation improves.
• Your lung function increases.

1 to 9 months after your last cigarette:

• Smoker’s cough decreases.
• Your lungs’ cleansing function returns to normal.
• Your risk for infection decreases.

1 year after your last cigarette:

• Your heart attack risk is half that of a smoker.
• You’ve saved $2,190 or more from not buying cigarettes.
• Freedom! You’re not a slave to smoking any longer.

5 to 15 years after quitting:

• Your stroke risk is equal to that of a non-smoker.

10 years after quitting:

• Your lung cancer risk is half that o a smoker.
• Your risk of cancer decreases (including cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder, etc.).

15 years after quitting:

• Your risk of heart disease is equal to that of a non-smoker.

 

Learn more about the benefits of quitting here:  http://www.upmc.com/patients-visitors/education/smoking/Pages/smoking-facts.aspx 

Share your ideas on how to take a healthy step on our Facebook wall or message us on Twitter!

Take a Healthy Step: Re-Think Meditation

This month we are asking all our fans and followers to take a healthy step.  The wellness of your body starts with a healthy mind and positive outlook.  We all need a chance to step back and gain perspective.  By giving ourselves the time to re-orientate and reflect, we reduce the stress that leads to so many health issues such as heart disease and high blood pressure.  This is why meditation is now proving to be as great for the body as it is for the soul.   

Calming of the Mind

Probably the greatest benefit of meditation is that it calms the mind. Studies have shown that people who meditate regularly are happier and better balanced. They have a much easier time handling stress and keeping depression, anxiety and negativity at bay. There’s just something about spending some time each day doing nothing but sitting and breathing that has an almost magical effect on the brain.

Sharper Focus

People who meditate regularly report that they find their focus and concentration better. Perhaps the reason for this is that when you meditate, you focus only on this exact place and moment. By concentrating all of your energy on the simple activity of sitting, you’re essentially practicing concentration. It tunes your focus so that you can bring it to the other things you do each day.

…

Improved Memory

Recent scientific studies show that people who meditate daily over a period of several weeks have more grey matter in the part of the brain known as the hippocampus, an area that’s associated with learning and memory. Scientists are clueless as to why this is, but MRI scans show that there is a significant difference between the brains of meditators and non-meditators.

Lower Blood Pressure

Studies also suggest that meditating may lower your blood pressure. They even suggest that the practice is just as effective as certain anti-hypertension medications and possibly more so, without the added side effects and risks. This benefit, along with the power of meditation to stop stress, means that meditating is good for your heart and can prevent you from suffering heart problems.

 

Find out more about meditation and its benefits here:  http://www.meditationtips.net/benefits-of-meditation/the-7-key-benefits-of-meditation.php#more-738

Share your ideas on how to take a healthy step on our Facebook wall or message us on Twitter! 

A Special Holiday Thank You to Those That Lend a Hand!

 

Everyone needs help now and again.  We’ve all been there.  And when someone helps us out, it can mean the world.  It fills us with hope and inspires us to be better people in return.  This holiday season, let us celebrate selflessness and altruism by being grateful to all the helpers in our lives.  If someone lent a hand to you this year, now is the perfect time to say Thank You!       

The Dignity & Respect Campaign invites you to post your stories about how someone lent a hand to you made all the difference.  This is your opportunity to thank those special people in your life and encourage our Fans and Followers to reach out and Lend a Hand this holiday season. 

The smallest act of kindness just like the largest act of philanthropy, can change lives.  Have you ever received a greeting card or kind voicemail on the very day you needed a pick-me-up the most?  Maybe someone cooked you a meal without even knowing times were tough.  Or maybe you have a secret benefactor whose anonymous help changed your prospects and your attitude.  Whatever your story, large or small, share it with us!  Warm hearts by sharing your gratitude with us this holiday season. 

Share your stories with us on our Facebook wall and remember Dignity & Respect Tip #5: Say Thank You! 

Dignity & Respect Champion: Laurie MacDonald!

 

Laurie MacDonald, CEO and president of Center for Victims, was named the Dignity & Respect Champion of Greater Pittsburgh. She worked at Womansplace, a domestic violence center, for 10 years before the organization merged with the Center for Victims of Violence and Crime, this past July. 

Nominated for the award by coworker Nicolas J. Hartman, Laurie has spent more than a decade working tirelessly toward the betterment of a diverse community. 

"Through Laurie's commitment to acknowledging the diversity of crime and victims of crime, we now have an agency providing services in a comprehensive fashion while appreciating and respecting the diversity of the victims it serves," Hartman wrote in his nomination letter. "Laurie also has a personal approach to working with her employees, never shy to say hello and ask about our well-being," Hartman wrote. "Laurie truly wants her staff to feel appreciated and enjoy the work that we do."

Laurie said the most rewarding aspect of her work is getting to know so many different people. As a daughter of an Arab immigrant, she remembers her upbringing in McKeesport (she grew up two blocks from where Womansplace was established) as one marked by gender and racial discrimination. 

"I learned a lot about discrimination and prejudice," she said. "Female suppression was huge. You were expected to graduate high school and become a secretary." 

That atmosphere has changed, Laurie said, even if society still has a ways to go. As she knows, people are still hurting one another.   

During the past 10 years, Laurie admits, she can't say she's seen even a modest decrease in the number of women seeking shelter from violence. But she has watched the population she's served-first through Womansplace and now through the Center for Victims-become more diverse.

Abused women aren't hiding in the shadows-at least not as often.  

"Domestic violence happens to everyone, but the way it's dealt with in the community is different," Laurie said, adding that in some cultures, traditionally, women are more reluctant to use community resources. "It's not as taboo to seek help [now]." 

Womansplace, based in McKeesport, helped reach an underserved community that was less likely to access resources based in the city, Laurie said. Center for Victims casts the net wider, offering women and men in Allegheny County a 24-hour help line for "victim advocacy, crisis intervention, counseling, and community education programs to those impacted by all forms of violence and crime including, but not limited to: adult and child sexual assault; physical assault; child and elder abuse; homicide; robbery; and burglary," according to the group's website. "It's good for our clients," she said. "It's more of a one-stop shop."

Laurie's optimism baffles some, she said. It's not that she doesn't see, first-hand, the casualties of abuse-indications that the values of dignity and respect haven't taken hold in all of us. 

Friends sometimes ask her how she can do the work she does without being depressed all the time. Her response is simple. 

"If you think you're not making progress-- you are."

Do you know an individual who makes a positive impact and promotes an environment of inclusion? If so, nominate the person in your life you feel has made a difference for the Dignity & Respect Champion Award! This prestigious award recognizes people who are engaged in their communities, live by the principles of dignity and respect, and promote an environment of inclusion. 

How Will You Lend a Hand?

 

The Dignity & Respect Campaign hopes you had a great Thanksgiving and wishes you the very best holiday season!  As we approach the winter holidays, giving back is on our minds. 

How have you lent a hand to someone in need?  We want to be inspired by your ideas.  If you have a great story on how you helped someone out or how pitching in impacted your community, now is the time to share it with the world and encourage others to lend a hand for the holidays.

How are you planning to give back this holiday season?  If you are planning a food drive, hosting a charity event, or cheering up a relative in a nursing home, tell us about it!  If you have an inventive way to spread Dignity & Respect during the holidays, let us know.   Share your ideas on how to lend a hand this holiday season and you may inspire others to do the same. 

Share your stories with us on our Facebook wall and let’s make this the season of giving back! 

Lend a Hand This Holiday Season

 

 

One of the most beneficial and rewarding aspects of the Dignity & Respect Campaign is centered around Tip 29: Lend a Hand.  Whether it’s volunteering at a food shelter, helping a neighbor rake leaves or shovel snow,  or even donating clothing you don’t wear, it is usually the little things you do that can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Below are some examples of how you can lend a hand. If you have any ideas or personal success stories about lending a hand in your community, share them with us on our Facebook or Twitter pages!

Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway – Steeler Nation Joins Dignity & Respect Campaign to Help Families in Need Celebrate Thanksgiving  > Learn More

Clean-up Drives – Throughout the year, local Dignity & Respect Councils are involved in organized clean-up drives through community. Start a clean-up drive your community!

Donation Days or Days of Service – The Dignity & Respect Campaign encourages collaborations with United Way, schools, food banks, faith-based organizations, and community organizations. Participate in an existing day of service, collect some canned goods or gently worn items, select an organization, gather a few friends or colleagues, and lend a hand to an organization that needs you.

Holiday Drives – Partner with a shelter to donate food, gifts, or time. Bring others some holiday cheer this season!

Dignity & Respect Month a Success!

1. We exceeded our goal of 125,000 Pledges by 2,000 for a total of 127,083 pledges.

2. Fans of the Dignity & Respect Facebook page increased by 20%.

3. We received proclamations from 18 municipalities throughout western Pennsylvania, where the campaign started, plus Pitt County, North Carolina, and Washoe County, Nevada.

4. Nominations for Dignity & Respect Champions were received from coast (Massachusetts) to coast (Florida) to coast (Oregon).

5. The winning video was submitted by a new father from Donora, PA.
>Watch winning video here: http://www.facebook.com/DignityandRespectCampaign/posts/235157403280536

6. Most importantly, we received valuable feedback through the D&R Survey from individuals and organizations about being treated with dignity and respect.

Once again we Say "Thank You" for all of your support and for Taking 5 minutes to make a difference.