Dr. Steven Horvitz- Reading between the Lines:
Bringing you healthcare information you can trust!
It's almost spring. And after sitting around more during the cold weather season, we need to make sure we start our springtime exercise wisely. The most common visits to my office in the spring are for overuse athletic injuries. In other words, people overdoing exercise.
To help prevent this common malady. Andy Dick of Optimum Fitness has prepared the following.
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As warmer weather approaches, all of us in the Northeast get excited for a return to outdoor activities. Whether this means taking the dog for a walk, or training for a triathlon, it is important to approach this extra exercise sensibly.
First off, if you plan on trying something new, make sure it is something that you will enjoy and that it will help you accomplish your personal goals. You should also be careful not to pick a new activity that could aggravate an old injury. Someone with bad knees should not set out to run a marathon!
If you plan on picking up an old exercise that you know you enjoy, be sure to ease into the activity slowly. Your body is very good at learning your routine. This is why you tend to be very sore after your first workout in a long time, but someone who works out daily is rarely sore. However, your body learns specifics; therefore if you have been keeping active on an elliptical all winter, you need to let your body get used to running outdoors slowly. Otherwise, it could be uncomfortable for the days following your first few runs! Not only do we want to avoid being uncomfortable due to the soreness, but we don’t want to have to skip future workouts because you can’t get up off the couch! Although it doesn’t feel like it now, there will be plenty of nice days to get outside and enjoy the weather, so take it slow to start!
Although I will always preach the importance of a good warm-up, cool-down, and post-exercise stretch, it is especially important on the days you are starting something new.
· Always start off exercise with a 5 minute warm-up. This means that you start off slowly and slowly ramp up to your exercise pace over the warm-up time. This is important to get the heart pumping the right amount of blood to the right muscles. Otherwise, you may feel weak to start and you could be unfairly stressing your heart.
· Always end exercise with a 5 minute cool-down period. Slowly ramp your pace from what you have been exercising at to a moderate walking pace. This will allow your heart to slow down at a natural pace (which avoids blood pooling in your lower extremities due to the heart pumping too fast for your pace) as well as allow your body to rid the bloodstream and muscles of some of the waste products that build up during exercise. These waste products are a main cause of muscle soreness.
· Always stretch at the end of exercise! It is important to note not to stretch at the beginning unless you are loosening up an injured area. Muscles should not be too lax (or loose) before exercising. This can weaken them significantly, sometimes leading to injuries of the tendons, ligaments, or muscles surrounding the area.
Choose something that you enjoy! I cannot stress this enough. If you do not enjoy something, you will not stick with it and you will end up mad at yourself for quitting. Also, if you really can’t enjoy an activity for whatever reason, you will find yourself taking shortcuts to finish. Shortcuts are the easiest way to accidental injury.
Finally, don’t push too hard. Remember, most of us are not training for the Olympics. If you get out there with someone who is faster than you that is OK. Keep your eyes on your specific goals and don’t worry about trying to “win.”''
Andy DickOwner, Optimum Results(609) 304-7598
http://www.optimumresults.net/
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Good points Andy.
Thanks again!!
So I hope everyone starts thinking of how to get more exercise as the weather warms up. But if anyone is unsure of their ability to exercise, or has a sudden decrease in exercise stamina, trouble with chest discomfort, or shortness of breath, please stop exercising and give my office a call for evaluation.
Steven Horvitz, D.O.
Board Certified Family Medicine
Founder of The Institute for Medical Wellness
128 Borton Landing Road, Suite Two
Moorestown, NJ 08057
Phone: 856-231-0590
Fax: 856-294-0311
For more information about Dr. Horvitz and The Institute for Medical Wellness, please click here.
To view upcoming Wellness Network Events, please click here.
http://www.drhorvitz.com/
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Monday, March 16, 2009
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Stressed out? Turmoil takes a toll on diet, exercise routine
Thu Apr 24, 6:30 PM ET
Stressed workers often reach for calorie-rich foods, skip the gym after a taxing day or forego meals because of heavy workloads. Or they indulge in other bad-for-you behavior like smoking, drinking or staying out late.
As the credit and housing crises rattle Wall Street, pressures over bigger workloads, job security and shrinking nest eggs are upending diets and fueling unhealthy habits across the country.
Breakfast is diet Pepsi and two packets of M&M's. For lunch, macaroons and white chocolates filled with marzipan from the farmer's market near Wall Street.
After learning her job would be cut this summer, Kelly Daly started reaching more frequently for the soothing effects of sugar.
"It's a stress reliever. Especially now that a bunch of us are going to be laid off," said the 49-year-old Daly, whose job reviewing medical insurance records in Manhattan's financial district is being cut after 11 years.
But it is in times of duress, experts say, that minding your health is perhaps more critical than ever.
Eating right and getting exercise may seem burdensome and even frivolous under such circumstances, but it actually gives people a greater sense of control and calm, said registered dietitian Heather Bauer, author of "The Wall Street Diet."
"It's one less thing to stress you out," Bauer said. "If you're out of a job or in a financial slump, it can give you a sense of inspiration as well."
For Aleksandra Cogura, heftier workloads in recent months means skipping lunch. If she's lucky, she'll manage to grab breakfast on the go. Once a gym regular, she hasn't been in four months.
"I just feel like I need to complete my work," said Cogura, a 44-year-old sales analyst in publishing in Manhattan.
Stress can take more serious, physical tolls. People under great stress release hormones and nerve chemicals that weaken the immune system, rendering them more susceptible to illness, said Dr. Esther Sternberg, who studies the effects of stress at the National Institute of Mental Health. Stress can also slow the body's ability to heal wounds, she said.
That could all translate into higher worker absenteeism, and those who do show up are likely not as productive when under great stress, said David Ballard, who specializes in work stress issues at the American Psychological Association.
Some ingredients for happy, productive workers include a flexible work-life balance, employee recognition programs and an atmosphere that lets employees take part in decisions, he said.
"It's about looking at the big system, creating a work place that puts a variety of components in place," Ballard said.
For individuals, reducing stress means "controlling the things you can control" when works seems to get too chaotic, said Marlene Clark, a dietitian with Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Taking a brisk, 10-minute walk can do wonders for clearing the head, Clark said. She suggests penciling the breaks in and giving them as much priority as other meetings.
Laying off the caffeine — coffee, tea, soda or even chocolate — could also help calm nerves, she said. Getting enough sleep is critical, too, especially when faced with more demanding work and hours, Clark said.
Taking such measures to reduce stress will only become more critical as the economic forecast darkens.
The nation's unemployment rate, now at 5.1 percent, is expected to move higher in coming months. Gasoline and food prices are at record levels, too, with ground beef, milk, apples, coffee and orange juice costing more these days.
"The first thing people want to do when they get stressed is eat stuff that's bad for them," said Bauer, who counsels Wall Street executives. "But the end result is that they're more stressed out because they're eating something they shouldn't have."
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On the Net:
Information on stress: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stress.html
Stressed workers often reach for calorie-rich foods, skip the gym after a taxing day or forego meals because of heavy workloads. Or they indulge in other bad-for-you behavior like smoking, drinking or staying out late.
As the credit and housing crises rattle Wall Street, pressures over bigger workloads, job security and shrinking nest eggs are upending diets and fueling unhealthy habits across the country.
Breakfast is diet Pepsi and two packets of M&M's. For lunch, macaroons and white chocolates filled with marzipan from the farmer's market near Wall Street.
After learning her job would be cut this summer, Kelly Daly started reaching more frequently for the soothing effects of sugar.
"It's a stress reliever. Especially now that a bunch of us are going to be laid off," said the 49-year-old Daly, whose job reviewing medical insurance records in Manhattan's financial district is being cut after 11 years.
But it is in times of duress, experts say, that minding your health is perhaps more critical than ever.
Eating right and getting exercise may seem burdensome and even frivolous under such circumstances, but it actually gives people a greater sense of control and calm, said registered dietitian Heather Bauer, author of "The Wall Street Diet."
"It's one less thing to stress you out," Bauer said. "If you're out of a job or in a financial slump, it can give you a sense of inspiration as well."
For Aleksandra Cogura, heftier workloads in recent months means skipping lunch. If she's lucky, she'll manage to grab breakfast on the go. Once a gym regular, she hasn't been in four months.
"I just feel like I need to complete my work," said Cogura, a 44-year-old sales analyst in publishing in Manhattan.
Stress can take more serious, physical tolls. People under great stress release hormones and nerve chemicals that weaken the immune system, rendering them more susceptible to illness, said Dr. Esther Sternberg, who studies the effects of stress at the National Institute of Mental Health. Stress can also slow the body's ability to heal wounds, she said.
That could all translate into higher worker absenteeism, and those who do show up are likely not as productive when under great stress, said David Ballard, who specializes in work stress issues at the American Psychological Association.
Some ingredients for happy, productive workers include a flexible work-life balance, employee recognition programs and an atmosphere that lets employees take part in decisions, he said.
"It's about looking at the big system, creating a work place that puts a variety of components in place," Ballard said.
For individuals, reducing stress means "controlling the things you can control" when works seems to get too chaotic, said Marlene Clark, a dietitian with Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Taking a brisk, 10-minute walk can do wonders for clearing the head, Clark said. She suggests penciling the breaks in and giving them as much priority as other meetings.
Laying off the caffeine — coffee, tea, soda or even chocolate — could also help calm nerves, she said. Getting enough sleep is critical, too, especially when faced with more demanding work and hours, Clark said.
Taking such measures to reduce stress will only become more critical as the economic forecast darkens.
The nation's unemployment rate, now at 5.1 percent, is expected to move higher in coming months. Gasoline and food prices are at record levels, too, with ground beef, milk, apples, coffee and orange juice costing more these days.
"The first thing people want to do when they get stressed is eat stuff that's bad for them," said Bauer, who counsels Wall Street executives. "But the end result is that they're more stressed out because they're eating something they shouldn't have."
___
On the Net:
Information on stress: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stress.html
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I think it is important that everyone acts selfishly to an extent. Take care of yourself first. By this, I mean to put your health, wellness, and happiness with your life before deadlines and perceived stresses by outside influences. If you take care of yourself, and feel better overall, every aspect of your life should be the better for it. If you are well rested, properly nourished, and enjoying your choices, then your personal life should be better, your family life should see benefits, and you should be a better, more efficient worker. I think it is important that I note I am not specifically talking about exercise. Although I feel that exercise is important to most, this should be a personal decision. If it does not make you feel better short, or long term, than you need to change what you do.
Rest, healthy living, nutrition, personal enjoyment, and anything else that you value should never be put on the back burner.
Andy Dick
Owner, Optimum Results
(609) 304-7598
www.optimumresults.net
Andy Dick, an affiliate of The Institute for Medical Wellness has some helpful tips:
I think it is important that everyone acts selfishly to an extent. Take care of yourself first. By this, I mean to put your health, wellness, and happiness with your life before deadlines and perceived stresses by outside influences. If you take care of yourself, and feel better overall, every aspect of your life should be the better for it. If you are well rested, properly nourished, and enjoying your choices, then your personal life should be better, your family life should see benefits, and you should be a better, more efficient worker. I think it is important that I note I am not specifically talking about exercise. Although I feel that exercise is important to most, this should be a personal decision. If it does not make you feel better short, or long term, than you need to change what you do.
Rest, healthy living, nutrition, personal enjoyment, and anything else that you value should never be put on the back burner.
Andy Dick
Owner, Optimum Results
(609) 304-7598
www.optimumresults.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of my favorite movies growing up was “The Karate Kid”. Mr. Miyagi (The karate instructor) taught Daniel (the Karate Kid) the meaning of the word Balance and how it relates to ones own life. There are many things that are important in life, and we need to balance out the good with the not so good, the stressful with the calming. We always look for things that make us happy, but sometimes the quick burst of happiness can cause further problems down the line. I try to tell my daughter, when she needs to make a decision, think of safety, health and happiness in that order.
One of my favorite movies growing up was “The Karate Kid”. Mr. Miyagi (The karate instructor) taught Daniel (the Karate Kid) the meaning of the word Balance and how it relates to ones own life. There are many things that are important in life, and we need to balance out the good with the not so good, the stressful with the calming. We always look for things that make us happy, but sometimes the quick burst of happiness can cause further problems down the line. I try to tell my daughter, when she needs to make a decision, think of safety, health and happiness in that order.
First what you want must be safe, then it must be healthy for you, and then it should make you happy. Choosing happiness over safety or health will just make you end up in my office sooner rather than later!
Steven Horvitz, D.O.
Steven Horvitz, D.O.
Founder of The Institute for Medical Wellness
For past issues of the Newsletter please click here.
More information on Dr. Horvitz can be found at his website at www.DrHorvitz.com
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