About Charles
Based in Morristown, NJ, Charles Licastro is a highly successful home improvement specialist who values family and community above all else. He grew up learning about all aspects of building and masonry from not only his family but those within the industry that he knew from his neighborhood. Charles continued the family legacy of top-notch work and founded a thriving home improvement industry that has been serving his community for over four decades.
As a man who is more involved than most in his community, it comes as no surprise that Charles Licastro is deeply involved in causes that may affect those around him. He frequently makes donations to the Make a Wish Foundation and the ALS Foundation as well as causes such as cystic fibrosis. However, Mr. Licastro is especially committed to heart and lung health after a personal scare with cancer.
Recently, Charles Licastro went to his doctor for a routine visit and was referred to a specialist who ultimately diagnosed him with lung cancer. Charles was blown away and deeply affected as he had never smoked. He sought a second opinion only to discover he, in fact, did not have lung cancer at all. This brush with the possibility of cancer or even death led him to become an advocate for early detection, prevention, and treatment of the disease.
Charles Licastro is passionate about educating people on the risks of lung cancer and other diseases. After losing his sister, Maria, Charles also became more aware of the impact people’s decisions have on their health. Maria was a longtime smoker, which drastically increased her risk for contracting lung cancer. After her diagnosis, Maria denied that she had cancer, causing valuable time to be wasted. By the time she came around, it was too late. Maria passed away at the age of 51.
Charles does not want another person to experience what his family went through. It is important to him that people exposed to cigarettes (either by smoking or living around smokers) or radon speak with their doctor about their risk of cancer. Charles is also of the mindset that people should be checked out if they have any suspicion that their health is faltering. When something doesn’t seem right, book an appointment, even if it seems unnecessary. It is better to be overly precautious than to find out too late.
Due to this experience, Charles Licastro remains committed to living a healthier lifestyle and is fortunate enough to work in the home improvement industry where he is active on a near-daily basis. His grandchildren are a strong motivator for staying healthy and energetic enough to keep up with them and watch them grow. Throughout his health journey, his family was his support and motivation, and they continue to assist him in his endeavors to help others battle health issues and raise awareness for causes that deserve more attention and funding.
Growing up in a community of masons and construction industry experts inspired Charles Licastro to use the knowledge he had amassed throughout his young adult life to pursue a career in home improvement. He founded his own company and expanded from his small operation in his family’s house to a small shop to a large showroom today. After over 44 years of operating his business, Charles Licastro continues the family tradition and enjoys every second spent helping others by improving their homes. In his spare time, Charles Licastro spends time with his wife, two children, and two grandchildren. They all share a love of travel and frequent their family home on the Jersey Shore and vacation every summer together in Florida, where Charles loves to boat, fish, and just spend time in the great outdoors.
3 Facts To Know About Your Lungs
Your lungs serve an important function as part of the respiratory system. Every time you inhale, you bring in much-needed oxygen to fuel the cells in your body and exhale unwanted waste products.
In case you didn’t know, your lungs aren’t actually the same size. Your right and left lung aren’t actually the same size. The right lung has three sections and your left has two, leaving enough space for your ribs. The sternum and ribcage protect your lungs and other essential organs in your chest. While you think you may know everything there is to know about the two organs, there may be some facts that surprise you.
1. The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is created to warn individuals how specific air conditions can impact their health. If you notice a thick smog in the air, it may be wise to check the index and see the level of air quality. If you see an AQHI of 7-10, the air is hazardous to your health, while a 10+ is exceptionally hazardous.
Ensure your lung’s health by avoiding the outside in certain conditions. If you want to exercise, consider doing it inside on a machine, follow along to workout videos, or do light yoga. If you absolutely need to go outside, then wear a mask to limit your exposure to the pollutants. The type of protection you wear will depend on the type of pollutant in the air and how the mask is used. Different protective gear will have a range of factors, if it is 5 or 10 percent, that means it will filter out all but whatever number of pollution. For example, if you have a 3 percent cover, that means it will filter out all but 3 percent of the pollution.
2. If you have shortness of breath that comes out of nowhere, chronic or sudden, don’t ignore it. It may be a sign of an underlying health issue. Not all shortness of breath is abnormal though. If you run to catch up to someone at work to speak with them or do other strenuous activity such as going up the stairs quickly, that is typically normal.
When looking to correct your shortness of breath, you must first find the underlying cause. If it is a result of pneumonia or asthma, it can be treated and should be done asap. If the problem cannot be managed, prescription medication may be the next step. It will help you improve the feeling that you get when you’re out of breath.
3. Hyperventilation is caused by anxiety or fear, and breathing with a paper bag over your mouth isn’t the only tactic to help it. Handle the issue that is causing you undue stress then purse your lips and breathe. If that does not work then close one nostril and breathe through the other. The aim is to calm down and breathe slowly.
Your lungs are an essential part of the body’s function. Every time you breathe you get rid of more than 70% of the body’s waste. Ensure that you take care of your lungs by watching air quality and paying attention to moments where you are short of breath. Not only that but being able to handle situations where you or someone else is hyperventilating is key to helping them through the situation.
5 Ways To Ensure Healthy Lungs
We don’t realize how important our lungs are until we end up having respiratory issues. Whether we want to admit it or not, taking care of our lungs is a crucial aspect of a long life and overall happiness. You don’t need to run a mile a day or stick to a vigorous meal plan. The steps to having healthy lungs are short and easy to do.
Don’t Smoke Or Be Around People That Do
The easiest and surest way to keep your lungs healthy is to avoid smoking or inhaling toxic chemicals. No surprise here, but prolonged smoking leads to the destruction of lung tissue and an increased chance of getting chronic bronchitis. Avid smokers experience difficulty breathing and deal with narrower air passages later in life. Of course, you cannot forget that fact that smoking consistently can lead to cancer. Smokers are 15-30 times more likely to die of lung cancer or get it than those who do not.
Prevent Infection Or Sickness
The last thing that you want is a respiratory infection or cold that will wreck your lungs. Good hygiene is going to help keep your lungs in shape. Take the same preventative measures as you would to avoid getting the flu to take care of your lungs. That means wash your hands or use hand sanitizer often. Lastly, if you are sick ensure that you rest and drink plenty of fluids.\
Exercise
Improve your lung capacity by scheduling aerobic exercises on a regular basis and complete breathing exercises. Exercising your lungs is like training any other muscle in your body. When you workout, you relieve stress and improve your mood. Take a moment to do some belly breathing, the exercise focuses on expanding your stomach and lungs.
Be Conscious Of Your Posture
Not only is sitting up straight good for your back, but it also ensures that your lungs have the space they need to inflate and deflate property. When you hunch over or sit improperly, during the act of breathing you push your internal organs into your lungs and do not give them enough room to move. Don’t squish your internal organs by sitting with your back straight.
Stay Hydrated
Drink lots of water to ensure that the mucous lining in your lungs stay thin and help them function efficiently. When the lining is too thin, you become susceptible to more lung infections. If you sit at a desk all day, the easiest way to achieve this is to have a water bottle on hand all day. Avoid running out of water and needing to refill it often by getting a water bottle that is more than 32 oz.
Having healthy lungs is not hard to achieve, it takes time and patience. But making these small changes to your everyday life is the start that you need to ensure that your lungs stay in the best shape they can be.
Why Exercising For Your Heart Is More Important Than Your Weight
The primary focus for many when they start to exercise is to lose weight, but working out is much more than that. Your heart benefits the most. You don’t need to go to the gym for hours on end, instead start small. While at work, take the stairs rather than the elevator, or park your car at the back of the parking lot. Making small changes like this in your life is going to be easier than forcing yourself to go to the gym for a full hour.
Benefits?
Through physical activity, you reduce your stress, blood pressure and lower your risk for diabetes and even some types of cancers. With all these added benefits you should be working not just to lose a few pounds, but instead to increase the longevity of your life and happiness.
How Do I get Started?
The first step to exercising is just starting. Motivate yourself by thinking of the benefits, such as weight loss and muscle gain. You can also start by working out in small doses. By doing this, you aren’t forcing your body to commit to a schedule that it hasn’t completed before. Set realistic expectations to how long you are going to train as well as increase the amount the more you exercise. You want to reach 30 minutes of workout on a daily basis. Consider asking a friend to join you. When you have someone keeping you accountable for your workouts you are more likely to stick with the routine.
The easiest activity that you can start is walking. The only thing required to start doing this is a good pair of shoes. You can also download a phone app that will keep track of how far you traveled and have you competing with friends around the world for distance. As you continue to workout, consider joining a sport, or classes. Swimming is a great workout that uses all the muscles in your body.
If you are too busy to take a class, remember that both stair climbing and gardening are considered strenuous exercises and are easy to add into your day. Your week should consist of 150 minutes of moderate exercise. An easy way to tell if you are doing this is any activity that makes you warmer or makes your heart beat faster.
While working out is a great first start to becoming heart-healthy, keep in mind that you should be careful of specific conditions that you experience. Should you begin to become dizzy, have trouble breathing or pressure in the upper part of your body or chest, stop and seek medical help. If you experience soreness for a day or two, know that it will fade as your body gets used to working out.
Working out is a fundamental part of staying healthy. Don’t let a lack of exercise stop you from being the best that you can be.