|
|
October 15, 2001 In This News Letter Introduction*** The Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter is written bi-weekly, solely for information to help seniors, baby boomers and anyone else who may have an interest in staying healthy, living a vigorous, active lifestyle and combating the aging process. The newsletter also includes know-how in the form of useful tips and links to more extensive material on the Internet. It is not meant to prescribe treatments for any particular condition except as something that the individual may wish to discuss with their healthcare professional. Web site: http://www.doctorsexercise.com How to subscribe: Click Newsletter on the left menu at website for more info and to subscribe or browse directly to: http://pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/doctorsexercisenewsletter E-Mail address: newsletter@doctorsexercise.com The Doctor’s Senior Exercise Newsletter strives to give you the best available news that we hope will help you in your efforts to maintain a vigorous, pain-free and happy lifestyle. However, you should always seek advice from your healthcare professional before trying any new treatments that you may feel can help you. Discussing your intentions with your doctor is always the proper procedure. Healthfully Yours*** Are you aware of what the 10 WORST JOBS FOR YOUR BACK ARE? Low back pain can hit anyone, but for some people, it’s an occupational hazard. The American Journal of Public Health recently listed the jobs with the highest prevalence of low back pain due to an injury at work. They are: Truck driver Construction equipment and heavy machinery operators Construction workers Janitorial and building maintenance workers Firefighters Police officers Heavy equipment mechanics Health-care therapists Doctors, dentists, and nurses (tie) Farmers, foresters, and commercial fishermen (tie). My own addition to this list would be, athletes, and not necessarily the professional athlete, but the weekend warrior. And mostly those affected with a low back syndrome would be the “Couch Potato”. People are beginning to recognize the importance of exercise and how it can contribute to our overall health. Unfortunately we are still a nation of “Couch Potatoes”. The prevalence of obesity has increased to alarming proportions. With this increase has come the increase of low back pains and of course cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. I’ve quoted the former Surgeon General of the United States “Dr. C. Everett Koop” before, but this quote bears repeating, “That more people die of a sedentary lifestyle than deaths caused by smoking”. Exercise is the single most important activity for an individual to add to their daily lives. Another cliché, “if you don’t use it, you lose it” says it all. The body has over 300 muscles, plus ligaments and tendons, and 206 bones that form the joints permitting us to go about our daily routines. Anything that moves needs to be lubricated. The automobile cannot function unless the moving parts are lubricated, and our bodies are no different. Nature has provided this for our body in the form of bursa that allows the smooth gliding of muscles, and synovial fluid that allow the joints to operate without friction. In our early years this lubrication is generously supplied by nature. However, as we start to age, there is a reduction of this lubrication. If we are active in our early years, this reduction is not as prevalent as in those that are less active. As we approach the senior years, muscles and joints that have not been used to their optimum capacity will start to stiffen. People in their forty’s and beyond will start to notice an appreciable decline in their ability to perform chores that were performed before without a second thought. When this occurs, the individual starts to slow down even more, thus compounding the situation, and that is when they start on the road to a sedentary lifestyle. This becomes their way of life, the easy way. Let me tell you this is not the easy way, it is the hard way. This will not only decrease your chances of a healthy, vigorous lifestyle, but it can decrease the longevity we all seek. Health Hint*** Now that we know that a sedentary lifestyle can reduce the life span and make us miserable as well, by causing all manner of joint and muscle problems, what are we to do to help and avoid these problems? The answer is really simple. Start moving your body more. 1. Start an exercise program that fits your lifestyle and one that you can live with. This means that you will find the time, and one you like and can dedicate yourself to stick with it. Most people will give up on an exercise program in about 2 weeks. Sticking with an exercise program for 3 months will almost guarantee that you will stay with it. 2. Starting an exercise program does not mean you could sit back and relax. You have to keep moving your body whenever the opportunity arises. Don’t take your car if you can walk to a Store, Bank, and Beauty Parlor, or Barbershop Shop, that is only a short distance away. 3. If you live on an upper floor in a building with an elevator, do not use it all the time. Walk the stairs whenever possible. Walking the stairs can be the healthiest way to treat your heart. Another great benefit is that it can be a way of controlling your weight. Tests performed at Cleveland Clinic has shown, walking two flights of stairs daily can result in a weight loses of as much as 10 pounds in a year. Another great benefit is that those studies have also shown that it can increase your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol. If you live on high floor walk down one flight, and then take the elevator. On your return, walk up one flight, then take the elevator. When your body acclimates to this exercise, increase the flights to two, and keep increasing them until you feel you have reached your goal. This can add as much 2 years to your longevity. 4. After dinner, do not sit down for the rest of the evening. Try to take a walk for about a half hour before settling in for the evening. This will stimulate your gastric juices and you will feel more comfortable, and you will even sleep better for it. As you can see, it doesn’t take much of your time and effort to increase your chances for better health and a more vigorous lifestyle. Not only will it add more zip to your life, but it can increase your lifespan as well. News Item*** A “News Item” as taken from the Medical Newswire Sept.14, 2001… Aspirin found to reduce long-term mortality. Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 13, (Medical Newswire). The lowly aspirin pill, already proven beneficial following a heart attack, may have even broader applications. A new study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that aspirin use is associated with generally reduced mortality. Researchers studied more than 2000 patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease, and/ or those with impaired exercise capacity. Doc Cane NOTE: For those of you, who received 2 copies of my last newsletter, please accept my apologies. I hope to avoid this glitch in the future. copyright, Disclaimer, and Trademark Information Copyrightă 1997-2001 Emanuel M. Cane. All rights reserved. Except stated below, this material or parts thereof may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed by any means whatsoever without explicit, written permission from the author. You may circulate copies of the Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter by Manually forwarding it, providing you forward the issue in it’s entirety, no fee is involved, and you may forward no more than three issues to any one individual. You may not attach advertising or otherwise modify the text of the newsletter. |
