Reposted from Men’s Health:  Hundreds of guys — including some of the world’s fittest men — have taken their final breaths while wearing running shoes. Here’s how to outsmart the reaper –

Guy goes out for a run. It’s just a 4-miler–nothing, really, to a seasoned marathoner who usually runs 10 miles a day, 7 days a week. Nobody knows why he stops 40 or 50 yards short of his front door–maybe he’s checking his pulse, maybe he’s tying a shoe–but everybody knows what happens next to Jim Fixx, the 52-year-old patron saint of running: He dies.

You’ve heard that story. But you may not know about Edmund Burke, Ph.D., who was to serious endurance cycling what Fixx was to running. He died on a training ride last fall, at age 53.

And you almost certainly haven’t heard of Frederick Montz, David Nagey, or Jeffrey Williams, three brilliant physicians at Johns Hopkins University who died while running. The oldest of the three was 51.

You’d think that exercise icons should live to be 100. And yet, every year, a few of them go permanently offline at half that age.

Two questions arise. The first is obvious: Why do the hearts of such highly conditioned men fail during exercise designed to make their hearts stronger? The second is so radical it borders on treason against the health and fitness cause: Is there something wrong with the entire notion of endurance exercise as a healthy, life-extending activity?

I’ve been skeptical about the benefits of aerobic exercise for years. But the answers surprised even me. Pull up a chair–you’ll want to be sitting down when you read this.

The Road to Nowhere

The idea that a well-trained endurance athlete could just drop dead was unfathomable a generation ago. Thomas Bassler, M.D., went so far as to say that anyone who could finish a marathon in less than 4 hours could not have serious heart problems. He conducted a study on 14 marathoners who had died of cardiovascular disease, and concluded that all were malnourished. Unfortunately, he reported this conclusion in the July 27, 1984, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Fixx had died 7 days earlier.

Nobody today believes that endurance training confers immunity to anything, whether it’s sudden death from heart disease or the heartbreak of psoriasis. Every time you lace up your running shoes, there’s a chance your final kick will involve a bucket, and every expert knows this.

“I think the risk is inescapable, and it’s bigger than we’re letting on,” says Paul Thompson, M.D., director of preventive cardiology at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and a researcher who studies sudden death and exercise. One of Dr. Thompson’s studies showed that 10 percent of the heart attacks treated at his hospital were exercise related. “Those heart attacks tend to be in people who aren’t fit,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean that’s the only group that gets it, unfortunately. There are these very fit guys who go out for a run and drop dead.”

Dr. Thompson’s studies and others show that the chances of sudden death are about one in every 15,000 to 18,000 exercisers per year. That comes to one death for every 1.5 million exercise bouts. Curiously, the most serious endurance athletes seem to be at the greatest risk. Here’s how it breaks down, according to an often-cited 1982 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine: <* />

One death per 17,000 men who exercise vigorously 1 to 19 minutes a week

One death per 23,000 men who exercise vigorously 20 to 139 minutes a week

One death per 13,000 men who exercise vigorously 140 or more minutes a week

I had to look at the chart twice to see its startling conclusion: The highest death rate is among the men who exercise long and hard, and is much higher than that of the men who exercise short and hard. Worse, the guys who do hardly any vigorous exercise had a lower death rate than the guys who do the most.

About a zillion studies — I lost count in the millions — have shown that aerobic exercise leads to a healthier heart and a longer life.

So I have to wonder why more of such a healthy activity is worse, rather than better.

Sweatin’ to the Oldies

In 1970, a study of San Francisco longshoremen made a strong argument that physical activity helps prevent heart disease. The longshoremen who got promoted to mostly sedentary management positions developed heart disease 25 percent more often than those who worked on their feet.

An important note about this study, and similar ones that preceded it: The subjects weren’t doing formal, steady-pace endurance exercise. They were walking and stopping, lifting things up and putting them down.

Numerous formal exercise studies followed, many of them attempting to quantify how much physical activity is needed to prevent heart disease, and at what intensity levels. The Harvard Alumni Health Study found that heart-disease risk starts going down when you expend more than 500 calories a week and continues to decrease until you get to 2,000 calories a week. Then things level off–more exercise doesn’t offer more protection.

The bottom number isn’t much exercise; a 200-pound man walking 2 hours a week at 3 mph will burn 600 calories. And the top number isn’t particularly intimidating, either. Our 200-pounder would have to run about 16  miles at a 12-minute-mile pace to burn 2,000 calories a week. (Lighter guys will burn fewer calories per minute or mile; bigger men will burn more.)

Intensity is a separate issue, with some studies showing that moderate-intensity exercise (walking, bowling, playing golf) helps your heart, and others showing little benefit until you start cranking (running, lifting serious iron, playing basketball or soccer).

Still other studies measure heart-disease risk by activity level, and these show something really interesting: Once you get past the 75th percentile of physical activity–guys who exercise more than three-quarters of the population–protection against heart disease levels off. In fact, among the most active, it actually declines slightly, according to a review in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. In other words, the superactive are more likely to die than the merely active.

Snow Problem

One reason it’s so hard to understand the whole death-by-exercise phenomenon is that so few people die during formal exercise–there are only about 100 cases per year. So it helps to look at those who suffer heart attacks during heavy physical exertion in general, rather than fitness activities in particular. One important study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1993, looked at 1,228 nonfatal heart attacks, 54 of which occurred during or soon after serious exertion. (The cutoff point was 6 metabolic units, or METs. This means the exertion was greater than or equal to six times the energy required by a body at rest. Heavy strength training is considered a 6-MET activity, as are wood chopping and snow shoveling; running 12-minute miles racks up 8 METs.)

The researchers divided the cases into three categories and found that about 18 percent of the exercise-induced heart attacks occurred during lifting and pushing, 30 percent during jogging or sports (racquet sports in particular), and 52 percent during yard work, such as splitting wood.

And that brings us to a major cause of death by exertion: snow shoveling.

A researcher at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, tallied 36 snow-related deaths in the Detroit area following two heavy storms. (Curiously, several of the victims were using snowblowers.)

It’s easy to see why frozen precipitation scores such a high body count. “Heart rates go up like a maximal treadmill test,” says Barry Franklin, Ph.D., director of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise laboratories at the Beaumont hospital. “Combine that with cold weather, which constricts arteries, and you have a prescription for disaster.”

An interesting point: The men who shovel off to meet their makers following a snowstorm, or who have to call an EMT after putting ax to wood, aren’t doing aerobic activities. There’s no endurance component. Snow shoveling and wood chopping are anaerobic activities–strenuous efforts that can’t be continued longer than a few minutes without stopping to rest.

In other words, these activities resemble strength training and are very different from running or cycling. So you’d probably guess that weight lifting also has a pumped-up body count.

Even with the current EIM program, the U.S. Physical Activity Plan, the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and the First Lady’s Let’s Move!initiative, there is still doubt in the physician community that patients will respond to their counseling to increase physical activity. A call to action must be sustained to develop behavior change strategies, to build the infrastructure for program delivery, and to continue the research needed to make these initiatives a reality. The “exercise prescription” can succeed, but only with the collaboration of many interdisciplinary partnerships. We all need to promote the basic recommendation from the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines , which is to help adults accumulate, in bouts of 10 minutes or longer, at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week. This can start with the ACSM community. See how you can get involved in EIM . All members and other professionals affiliated with ACSM can help get more people more active, and thereby improve their health. 

Active Voice: Physical Activity Reduces Stroke Risk: Research Bolsters EIM
by Steven N. Blair, PED, FACSM and John C. Sieverdes, MS

Active Voice is a column by ACSM experts in science, medicine and allied health. The viewpoints expressed do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of ACSM. NOTE: The research discussed in the following feature was presented at the 57th ACSM Annual Meeting June 2-5, 2010.

Steven N. Blair, PED, FACSM, is a professor in the Department of Exercise Science and Epidemiology/Biostatistics in the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia. His research focuses on physical activity, fitness and health outcomes. He is a Past President of ACSM.

Cancer survivors, better work up a sweat.

New guidelines are urging survivors to exercise more, even — hard as it may sound — those who haven’t yet finished their treatment.

There’s growing evidence that physical activity improves quality of life and eases some cancer-related fatigue. More, it can help fend off a serious decline in physical function that can last long after therapy is finished.

Consider: In one year, women who needed chemotherapy for their breast cancer can see a swapping of muscle for fat that’s equivalent to 10 years of normal aging, says Dr. Wendy Demark-Wahnefried of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

In other words, a 45-year-old may find herself with the fatter, weaker body type of a 55-year-old.Scientists have long advised that being overweight and sedentary increases the risk for various cancers. Among the nation’s nearly 12 million cancer survivors, there are hints — although not yet proof — that people who are more active may lower risk of a recurrence. And like everyone who ages, the longer cancer survivors live, the higher their risk for heart disease that exercise definitely fights.

The American College of Sports Medicine convened a panel of cancer and exercise specialists to evaluate the evidence. Guidelines issued this month advise cancer survivors to aim for the same amount of exercise as recommended for the average person: about 2 1/2 hours a week.

Patients still in treatment may not feel up to that much, the guidelines acknowledge, but should avoid inactivity on their good days.

“You don’t have to be Lance Armstrong,” stresses Dr. Julia Rowland of the National Cancer Institute, speaking from a survivorship meeting this month that highlighted exercise research. “Walk the dog, play a little golf.”

But how much exercise is needed? And what kind? Innovative new studies are under way to start answering those questions, including:

Oregon Health and Science University is training prostate cancer survivors to exercise with their wives. The study will enroll 66 couples, comparing those given twice-a-week muscle-strengthening exercises with pairs who don’t get active.

Researchers think exercising together may help both partners stick with it. They’re also testing if the shared activity improves both physical functioning and eases the strain that cancer puts on the caregiver and the marriage.

“It has the potential to have not just physical benefits but emotional benefits, too,” says lead researcher Dr. Kerri Winters-Stone.

Demark-Wahnefried led a recent study of 641 overweight breast cancer survivors that found at-home exercises with some muscle-strengthening, plus a better diet, could slow physical decline.

Duke University is recruiting 160 lung cancer patients to test if three-times-a-week aerobic exercise, strength training or both could improve their fitness after surgery. Lung cancer has long been thought beyond the reach of exercise benefits because it’s so often diagnosed at late stages. But Duke’s Dr. Lee Jones notes that thousands who are caught in time to remove the lung tumor do survive about five years, and he suspects that fitness — measured by how well their bodies use oxygen — plays a role.

People with cancer usually get less active as symptoms or treatments make them feel lousy. Plus, certain therapies can weaken muscles, bones, even the heart. Not that long ago, doctors advised taking it easy.

Not anymore: Be as active as you’re able, says Dr. Kathryn Schmitz of the University of Pennsylvania, lead author of the new guidelines.

“Absolutely it’s as simple as getting up off the couch and walking,” she says. Exercise programs are beginning to target cancer survivors, like Livestrong at the YMCA, a partnership with cycling great and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong’s foundation. The American College of Sports Medicine now certifies fitness trainers who specialize in cancer survivors. But anyone starting more vigorous activity for the first time or who has particular risks — like the painful arm swelling called lymphedema that some breast cancer survivors experience — may need more specialized exercise advice, Schmitz says. They should discuss physical therapy with their oncologist, she advises. For example, Schmitz led a major study that found careful weight training can protect against lymphedema, reversing years of advice to coddle the at-risk arm. But the average fitness trainer doesn’t know how to safely offer that special training, she cautions. Mary Lou Galantino of Wilmington, Del., is a physical therapist who specializes in cancer care — and kept exercising when her own breast cancer was diagnosed at Penn in 2003. Then 42, she says she was on the treadmill within 24 hours of each chemo session, to stay fit enough to care for her two preschoolers. “You can feel more energy” with the right exercise, says Galantino, a physical therapy professor at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. “I was giving my body up to the surgeons and chemo, but I could take my body back through yoga and aerobic exercise.” 

Editor’s Note – Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.

Written By LAURAN NEERGAARD
Washington (AP)  June 28, 2010

The Healing Moves Foundation will be offering special classes for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Look for the upcoming training class for fitness professionals, nurses, and physical therapists in Reno, Nevada on October 9 – 10. 
Pink Ribbon Program

About the Author:  Carol Krucoff, E-RYT is an award-winning journalist and fitness expert. She is the founding editor of the Health Section of The Washington Post, where her nationally syndicated column, Bodyworks, appeared for twelve years. Carol is the co-author of the book “Healing Moves.”  A frequent contributor to Yoga Journal, she has written for numerous national publications, including The New York Times, Prevention, and Reader’s Digest, and is creator of the home practice CD, Healing Moves Yoga.  Carol is a yoga therapist at Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, North Carolina.

Healing Yoga for Neck and Shoulder Pain is now available from New Harbinger Publishers.  For more information, log on to www.healingmoves.com.

The Healing Moves Foundation attended a news conference and official launch of the PPE Campaign and Coalition for Youth Sports Health and Safety at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on May 13, 2010.  The purpose of the campaign is to encourage consistent, thorough and high-quality preparticipation physical evaluations for athletes beginning training and competition in sports activities.  These medical screenings are extremely important to protect our young athletes.  People who appear healthy can often have undetected conditions such as heart problems, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, or concussion complications.  A new study by the American College of Sports Medicine finds overwhelming support for consistent medical screening of young athletes to identify if any of these conditions are present before they hit the playing field.  Currently, there are no national standards when evaluating students.  Each state has a different mandate on the requirements for the PPE.

Athletes, Physicians Urge Adoption of New Medical Screening Tool

Source: American College of Sports Medicine
May 13, 2010

Many more young athletes would be screened for life-threatening or disabling medical problems, if experts who spoke out today prevail. While announcing the updated Preparticipation Physical Evaluation (PPE), proponents urged its widespread adoption and systematic use. Representatives of the six medical societies who developed the new PPE tools teamed up with athletes and other advocates to underscore its potential to keep young athletes healthy.

“The PPE is an essential part of a responsible athletic program,” said former Congressman Jim Ryun, an Olympic medalist and multi-world record holder in track. “These screenings, if done timely and done right, can help prevent the kinds of injuries that can end a career or even a life.”

David Bernhardt, M.D., and William Roberts, M.D., served as co-editors of the newly revised “Preparticipation Physical Evaluation, 4th Edition” (www.ppesportsevaluation.org). “Done properly, these evaluations can detect conditions such as heart problems,” Bernhardt said. “In addition, screening and education can possibly prevent complications related to conditions such as diabetes, sickle cell trait, or concussion. That information can allow youngsters to safely practice or play sports.”

Roberts noted that the new version of PPE reflects the latest medical and scientific knowledge and includes information on ethical and legal considerations and on evaluating athletes with special needs. “While the PPE does screen for potentially catastrophic conditions, we also try to catch conditions that can predispose an athlete to injury or illness,” Roberts said. “And, for some adolescents, these evaluations are their entry into and only contact with the health care system. Doing these screenings across the board — and doing them well — is of the utmost importance.”

The public agrees

There’s no argument from the American people about that, according to a new study by the American College of Sports Medicine. Ninety-six percent of Americans feel it’s important for young athletes to be evaluated by a qualified health care professional before they begin playing sports. A similar majority — 95 percent — believe such screenings must be conducted in a consistent manner across the U.S. (Kelton Research online survey representative of the U.S. population, +/- 3.1 percent margin of error.)

The PPE Coalition

Improving the quality and consistency of pre-competition medical evaluations of U.S. student-athletes is the focus of the newly launched PPE Campaign and Coalition for Youth Sports Health and Safety. Members include medical organizations, sports governing bodies and other groups. At the PPE launch event, they called for widespread adoption of the updated PPE tool. “Requirements for preparticipation evaluations vary widely from state to state,” said James R. Whitehead, CEO of the American College of Sports Medicine. “Inconsistent effort gets inconsistent results, and too many problems are slipping through the cracks. Every young athlete deserves a thorough screening by a qualified medical professional. [The PPE Coalition] is determined to see that everyone can play or practice safely.”

Background

The Preparticipation Physical Evaluation, 4th Edition, is a collaboration of six leading medical societies:

The PPE is the definitive guide for physicians and other health professionals who evaluate athletes before training or competition — an essential tool for promoting the health and safety of athletes. The PPE provides the medical background for decisions by the individual athlete’s physician or the team physician.

The PPE marks important progress in the movement to ensure the health and safety of youth athletes. Other issues include:

The PPE Coalition for Youth Sports Health and Safety is anchored in promoting the consistent use of high-quality preparticipation evaluations for youth athletes. Activities include:

• Website (www.ppesportsevaluation.org)
• Speakers Bureau — Beginning with representatives of the writing team and expanding to offer qualified speakers where needed to build awareness of the importance of the PPE
• Working with policy makers in legislative and administrative bodies
• Building momentum and support for April as National Youth Sports Safety Month (www.nyssf.org/campaign.html)

SOURCE:  American College of Sports Medicine

Founding Partners of the PPE Coalition for Youth Sports Health and Safety:

• American Academy of Family Physicians*
• American Academy of Pediatrics*
• American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine
• American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance
• American Amateur Baseball Congress
• American.Association of Cheerleading Coaches & Administrators
• American College of Sports Medicine*
• American Medical Society for Sports Medicine*
• American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine*
• American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine*
• Association for Applied Sport Psychology
• Building Healthier America
• Healing Moves Foundation
• International Society for Sport Psychiatry
• MomsTeam
• National Athletic Trainers’ Association
• National Center for Drug Free Sport, Inc.
• National Council for Spirit Safety Education
• National Council of Youth Sports
• National Ski Areas Association
• Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.
• President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
• Road Runners Club of America
• Sanford USD Medical Center
• United States Anti-Doping Agency
• Women’s Sports Foundation

During the month of May, we challenge you to 30 minutes of physical activity each day, no matter what your age or ability!  Together we can rise to the challenge to get active for life—a wonderful, healthier life!

My liver died suddenly for reasons that I still do not know.  In January 1998, I was healthy and active; in February I realized I was sick and on March 6^th I flew to Stanford University in California.  On March 9^th I was in a coma and placed on the transplant list.  My family gathered, but could only wait and pray.  On March 12, 1998, I woke with a new liver and a new life.

I reached out to my donor family early by most standards after my transplant.  I am so very blessed that they reached right back.  We spoke by phone and I met my donor family on the one year anniversary of my transplant.  I learned that my donor was a nineteen year old man who lost his life in a tragic motorcycle accident.  Terry Snow’s parents, John and Kathy, had never discussed organ donation with Terry.  In the midst of their own unimaginable grief, the Snow’s made a decision that would bless several families with the gift in the form of a heart, lung, kidneys and a liver.  Five families received miracles that day.  Words cannot adequately express the gratitude in my heart for my donor family. 

Since my transplant it has become my strong desire to share my experience and accomplishments as a transplant recipient.  I seek out opportunities to show how successful organ transplantation can be while raising awareness for the growing need.  My donor family is an incredible part of that outreach.  Their strength, courage and compassion are unmatched.  Kathy was a nurse at the time of Terry’s death; she is now a Renal Transplant Coordinator.  Our lives have been forever molded together.  Side by side, Kathy and I now share our collective experience and encourage families to discuss organ donation.

During one of our visits in 2001, my donor family told me about the U.S. Transplant Games.  John and Kathy have accompanied my husband, daughter and I to the games in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.   I have competed in cycling, swimming and track.  With John and Kathy by my side, I was honored to receive the Jerry Cound Outstanding Female Athlete Award at the 2006 US Transplant Games.  I have been honored to represent Team USA at the World Transplant Games both in Bangkok, Thailand and in Gold Coast, Australia.  Over the past few years, I have begun competing in triathlons and hope that through my athletic endeavors, I may be able to continue to peak interest and show the success of organ donation.

We held our first Donate Life Walk in 2008.  Our goals were humble as we hoped to have 100 participants.   It became quite evident that first year that we could truly share the need while impacting our community in a positive way as over 300 people came out to support the walk.  It is my personal desire to continue to be a part of this wonderful outreach and to truly impact our community by sharing our stories, honoring donor families and showing the success of organ donation.  I hope that you will consider participating in the 3^rd Annual Donate Life Walk on May 16^th at the Sparks Marina.  

 I have truly been blessed with wonderful experiences and incredible personal recognition; however, the true heroes remain my donor family.  I hope to honor them and the memory of my donor, Terry Snow, in every aspect of my life.

Written by:  Tracy Copeland
Read more on the 3rd Annual Donate Life Walk in Northern Nevada

There are over 107,000 people currently waiting on the National Transplant Waiting List.  Every 10 minutes another name gets added to that list.  Sadly, 18 men, women and children die each day because of lack of available organs.  This April is Donor Awareness Month.  Please consider registering to become an organ donor.  You have the power to donate life!  For more information on organ and tissue donation and transplantation visit The Transplant Network.

Call your congressman on Tuesday March 30, 2010 and urge them to support the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment Act. Americans around the country will be calling their legislators as part of the “Congressional Butt-In” a day-long effort organized by C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition. On that day, constituents are urged to flood their legislators offices with phone calls about important programs which would not only save millions of taxpayer dollars, but more importantly, have a positive impact on the number of colon cancer deaths each year.

Check out these five secrets to stop diabetes from the American Diabetes Association’s vast collection of expert advice. What better time to put these tips into action than during this year’s American Diabetes Association Alert Day?

Also, find out more about Diabetes Alert Day, take the Diabetes Risk Test to determine your level of risk for type 2 diabetes, and learn what steps to take next.

Are you an Apple or a Pear?

Did you know that being an apple rather than a pear shape – more fat around your middle than around your hips – raises your risk of type 2 diabetes? To determine your shape, take a tape measure (a flexible one is best) and place it snugly (not tightly) around your waist. Compare the width of your waist to the number below. If the width of your waist is the same or bigger than the numbers below, you have too much weight around your waist and are at a greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

• Men: over 40 inches
• Women: over 35 inches

Have you seen the size of your plate inflate?

As portion sizes have grown in recent years, so has our perception of what is the appropriate amount to eat in one sitting. Even dishes and glasses have increased in size, so a normal-size portion looks inadequate, fueling the urge to fill a plate or glass with extra calories and raising your risk for type 2 diabetes.

Although measuring cups and spoons may be useful at home, they aren’t very realistic when you eat out. A simple trick is to use your hand to help approximate portion sizes.

• A fist = 1 cup
• Palm of a woman’s hand = 3 ounces
• Palm of a man’s hand = 5 ounces
• Thumb tip = 1 teaspoon
• Thumb tip = 1 teaspoon

Source: Copyright © 2009 American Diabetes Association. From What Do I Eat Now?

Have you ever developed gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes (GDM) is diabetes that develops during pregnancy. In most cases, these mothers-to-be have never had diabetes before, and then it goes away after pregnancy. But, unfortunately, that’s not always the end of the story.

Once you’ve had GDM your chances are 2 in 3 that it will return in future pregnancies. And women who have had GDM are more than 7 times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as women who didn’t have diabetes in pregnancy. How can you lower your risk?

• Stay active. Regular exercise can help prevent type 2 diabetes. Plus it can help you lose weight, manage stress, and feel better.
• Breastfeed. If you can, breastfeed your baby. Breastfeeding can provide both short- and long-term benefits to both your baby and to you.
• Talk to your health care provider. Be sure to tell your health care providers that you’ve had GDM.
• Get tested. If you had GDM, you should be tested for diabetes 6–12 weeks after you give birth and at least every 3 years after that.
• Lose weight. Are you more than 20 percent over your ideal body weight? Losing even a few pounds can help you prevent type 2 diabetes.
• Limit fat to 30 percent or less of your daily calories, and watch your portion sizes. Healthy eating habits can go a long way in preventing diabetes and other health problems.

Source: American Diabetes Association’s CheckUp America campaign

Are you a Master Excuse-Maker?

While you may try to exercise often, do you find yourself making excuses when the demands of daily life take hold? By skipping a quick walk or work-out routine, many find the pounds add up. Here are few ways to build exercise into your regular routine and lower your type 2 diabetes risk:

• When working at your desk for an extended period of time, build short breaks into your day.
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator. If need be, take the elevator part of the way and the stairs the rest of the way, then gradually increase the number of floors you climb as you become more fit.
• If safe to do so, park your car at a distant part of the office parking lot so that you can increase the amount of walking you do on your way in. If you use public transportation, get off a stop or two early and walk to your destination.

Source: Copyright © American Diabetes Association. From the “I Hate to Exercise” book

Have you let up on your check-up?

With today’s hectic schedules and daily demands, it’s easy to forget or forgo a scheduled visit with your health care provider. Plus, if you feel a little heavier, more stressed or have been eating less healthy, chances are you’ll want to avoid this check-up more than in years past. But, seeing a healthcare provider on a regular basis is one of the best ways to manage your health, ask for tools to lower your risk, and stop diabetes before it starts.

Be sure to take our Diabetes Risk Test before visiting your health care provider. And, take along these questions and healthy guidelines to make the most of your visit.

• What is the circumference of my waist? (A healthy number is 40 inches or below for men, under 35 inches for women)
• What is my blood pressure?( Less than 120/80 is ideal)
• Will you give me a fasting blood glucose test? (Maintain a schedule of being tested every 3 years after age 45 and ask your doctor to explain the test results and provide tips on how to lower your numbers if need be)
• What is my cholesterol? (Total cholesterol should be less than 200, with LDL levels less than 100 and HDL levels more than 40 mgs for men, 50 mgs for women)
• What are some small steps I can take to be healthier and avoid type 2 diabetes?

Source: American Diabetes Association’s CheckUp America campaign

One of our goals at the Healing Moves Foundation is to bring these special physical activity programs to our communities.  To achieve this goal, we are excited to announce our participation with the Pink Ribbon Program designed for breast cancer patients.  This program helps restore the quality of life and healthy body image for those who have been diagnosed with breast cancer despite any physical limitations brought on by their course of treatment.  

The Pink Ribbon Certification Program is open to physical therapists, occupational therapists, Pilate’s instructors, physical fitness professionals, registered nurses, and healthcare professionals.   Currently, the program has certified over 400 instructors in the United States, Australia and Europe. 

 For more information:  Pink Ribbon Program