We spoke with Dr. Travis Stork, a co-host on The Doctors and active ER doctor, yesterday to help spread the word about women’s heart health. During the month of February we’re all doing our part to help to curb the number one killer of women in America – heart disease. The thing is, aside from genetic influence, it can often be completely preventable based on your lifestyle choices.
We asked Dr. Stork what one thing people should do, and could do, today to start making a difference for their heart health, and thus reduce their risk of stroke or death. He recommends “the simplicity of walking 30 minutes each day.”
“[Walking] doesn’t require expensive equipment, it doesn’t require any skill set,” he said. “What I also love about walking is it can do something else that’s interesting for your heart, it can increase the quality time you spend with loved ones.” Those relationships and that time bonding are just as influential on your overall health.
He recommends that we make a post-dinner walk for 30 minutes a part of our family routines. “Make it a habit with your family, your kids will watch you and engage in your habits.” It certainly sounds a lot more appealing than plopping down on the couch as a “root vegetable,” as he described. Read Full Post >
Some experts suggest that maintaining a healthy weight, eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, or drinking plenty of water could all rank as the single best thing a person can do for their health. Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto and a staff physician at St. Michael’s Hospital, would disagree.
According to Evans, the single best thing we can do to improve or maintain our health is to fit 30 minutes of exercise into each day. While this may not seem like a lot to some, the average adult in the United States spends five hours per day watching television or screens.
“Being sedentary is bad for your health,” said Evans in the following video, featuring some very intriguing white board art. “TV is a chronic disease. [Researcher] Lennert Veerman found that people who spend six hours per day watching TV can expect to live five years less than active people.”
To improve your health, Evans suggests limiting sedentary activities, like sitting and sleeping, to 23.5 hours per day. Evans believes that exercise is the most important form of preventative medicine. Read Full Post >
There’s nothing like all-consuming back pain to make you want to become one with the couch. If you’ve been there, you know what we mean. If not, consider yourself lucky: It’s pretty easy to push your back’s intricately entwined bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments out of their comfort zone. “We see a lot of women in their 20s and 30s coming in with back pain because they’ve returned to a sport out of condition or suddenly upped their exercise intensity,” says Daveed Frazier, MD, an assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. “Our bodies just aren’t designed to absorb the abuse we give them.”
When pain strikes, your initial response might be to rest. “But even just a few days of lying idle can lead to deconditioning and further harm,” says Roger Chou, MD, director of clinical guidelines development for the American Pain Society (APS). “Staying active helps keep the muscles and tendons loose and strong.” In fact, the thinking about back pain has shifted so much that the APS and the American College of Physicians recently released new treatment guidelines. Read on for the latest in pain prevention.
Maruchy Lachance is president of Running Ninja!, a lifestyle brand for runners by runners. Running Ninja! offers a wide variety of apparel and gifts for runners to keep you happy and inspired while you’re on the run.
My husband worked at a fast food chain while in high school. To this day he quotes one of the things his manager used to say to the staff during down time: “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.”
This quote has taken on a life of it’s own in our home but it is not about cleaning as much as it is about being physically active.
Many of us work long days, then get home and our second shift begins with helping with homework, showers, and making dinner. By the time we’re done we’re so exhausted that all we want to do is unplug in front of the television and eventually roll into bed in preparation to begin the routine again the next day. Read Full Post >
Maruchy Lachance is president of Running Ninja!, a lifestyle brand for runners by runners. Running Ninja! offers a wide variety of apparel and gifts for runners to keep you happy and inspired while you’re on the run.
At a dinner party recently I hit upon a conversation with a friend who is an avid runner. I had been finding it a bit challenging to stay on track with my running schedule. After discussing it for a few minutes he paused and asked me if I was having fun. Faced with that question I soon realized that my favorite exercise felt more like a chore lately. Instead of looking forward to my morning run, I had begun to procrastinate before finally lacing up and heading out. The fun was gone.
