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THE MIDWEST: DOOR COUNTY, WISCONSIN
THE SOUTHEAST: THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS, GEORGIA
This sleepy Wisconsin county is a true getaway in the fall, when summer activities give way to seasonal offerings, like farmers markets, fall festi- vals, birdwatching tours, and apple picking. Complementing the fun is autumn foliage so beautiful that the county offers a regularly updated Fall Color Report to help visitors time their vacations just right. Check it out at doorcounty.com before booking your trip.
Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains cool down a bit in the fall, but the temperatures are far from the frosts of New England. Mixed with the gorgeous colors, that warmth is the perfect recipe for backpacking or hiking in short sleeves. Visit in mid- to late-October to go leaf-spotting on the Appalachian Trail, then stay to take in the majesty of Amicalola Falls and raise a glass around the campfire.
THE SOUTHWEST: THE ENCHANTED CIRCLE SCENIC BYWAY, NEW MEXICO
THE WEST: ASPEN, COLORADO
Here’s a tip: If a town is named after a tree, it’s a good bet the trees there are worth visiting. Aspen lives up to its moniker each autumn when its namesake trees blaze bright yellow against deep emerald evergreens. Mid- to late-September is the best time to visit for the full effect and is also the perfect time to bike, hike, golf, or fly fish before the Colorado winter sets in.`
Though it is perhaps the last region you’d think to migrate for fall leaves, the Southwest is home to one of the most unique and colorful drives in the country: The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway. The byway circles Wheeler Peak, New Mexico’s tallest mountain, and its leafy vistas are home to 2-billion-year-old quartz and feldspar, an Old West melo- drama theater, a fish hatchery, and an abundance of local art. Visit in late September or early October for the best colors.
Chronic Anger, Your Heart, andYour Health
How This Emotion Is Doing You Harm
The study also looked at other emotions, including sadness, which has also been linked to heart and other inflammatory disease. Through a number of tests involving 200 participants ages 59–93, the researchers concluded anger was far more detrimental to a person’s health than sadness. Ultimately, if you regularly experience rage and frustration, properly dealing with your anger is one of the best things you can do for your health. Every person’s situation is different, and it comes down to getting to the bottom of what makes you angry so you can work through it, whether you work through it alone or with a mental health professional. Take the steps to prioritize your mental and physical health, and your efforts will pay off tenfold in the long run.
hormones are responsible for triggering the “fight or flight” response. When these hormones enter the bloodstream, your heart rate increases and arteries constrict. This helps to more effectively pump blood to the arms and legs for a fight or a flight. The problem is that when a person is constantly angry or upset, these hormones course through the body more frequently, stressing the arteries and internal organs. As a person ages, this stress can become more damaging. One study that appeared in the Psychology and Aging Journal looked into this phenomenon. Researchers found that there is a link between frequently experiencing anger and increased inflammation and chronic illness for people ages 80 and older. This equated to more instances of heart disease and dementia.
Anger is a common emotion. It’s natural, and it’s a part of how you respond to certain circumstances in your environment. It’s how you express extreme displeasure. However, new research suggests chronic anger can be detrimental to your health. Essentially, it comes down to this: If you are stressed, tense, easily irritable, angry, and “snippy” all the time, you may be doing serious harm to your well-being. Studies have already shown a link between anger and the heart. People who showed signs of feeling anger on a regular basis experienced higher rates of heart disease. The first studies on the impact of anger came out in the 1950s and have since been confirmed: Chronic anger physically harms the heart. Why? When you get angry or upset, your brain triggers the release of specific hormones, including cortisol and norepinephrine. These
2 • www.ThomasPhysicalTherapy.com
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