The New Miracle Treatment for Women in Midlife and Beyond: A True Magic Bullet for Staying Healthy and Feeling Good

Article by Janet Horn, M.D. and Robin H. Miller, M.D.

The New Miracle Treatment for Women in Midlife and Beyond: A True Magic Bullet for Staying Healthy and Feeling Good – Health

Search by Author, Title or Content

Article ContentAuthor NameArticle Title

Home
Submit Articles
Author Guidelines
Publisher Guidelines
Content Feeds
RSS Feeds
FAQ
Contact Us

When you first saw the title of this article, you immediately thought it was hogwash, right?

You were a bit disappointed, too, because doctors are supposed to be honest, and discuss only the treatments that have been scientifically proven to work; and everyone knows that there is no such thing as a miracle treatment that keeps you healthy as you age. But, here’s the thing: we are telling you the truth.

First, let us tell you what this miracle treatment can do. It can help you to retain your memory, and possibly even prevent dementia, or at least postpone it for years. It can prevent you from falling, the most common cause of injuries to those of us who no longer even count the number of candles on our birthday cakes. It can, in some cases, keep you from getting arthritis in your knees, and if you already have it, keep you up and moving. It can keep your heart healthy, and if you already have heart disease, it can get you back to feeling great. It can prevent some cancers. If you have diabetes, or high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, it can, in some cases, make them go away, and at the very least, it may allow you to lower your dose of medication for each of these three. It can help you to breathe easy. It can keep you buff and help your sex life. It can help you sleep better, suppress your appetite, and even increase your metabolism. And it can improve your sense of wellbeing, keep your mood positive, and increase how long you live.

We know you’re still doubtful because if such a thing really existed, it would be on TV constantly and all over the internet, and you would’ve probably bought a huge amount of stock in it. But in fact, it not only exists, but all of the effects mentioned above of our miracle treatment have been scientifically proven!

Human beings were meant to move. Every aspect of our bodies’ functioning is geared toward that. On the flip side, movement and mobility are very important to the quality of life. What does this have to do with the miracle treatment? Easy — the miraculous new treatment for all our ills, particularly those accompanying the aging process, is movement. Because of all the negative connotations, we won’t call it exercise or any of those other clinical-sounding names, like “workout” or “physical activity.”

It really does all the things we said it can do. In fact, a recent study that followed more than 2500 people over the age of sixty for an average period of twelve years found that those who were fit from regular and adequate movement, whether they were overweight or not, had a significantly lower death rate at a young age than those who were not fit.

Here are the specifics. The official recommendations, released in 2007 by the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine, for the amount of physical activity necessary to improve and maintain our health include not one, but three different types of exercise: aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening activity, and balance/flexibility training. These are the recommendations.

1) Aerobic activity of moderate intensity for thirty minutes a day, five days per week — Go for a walk or climb those stairs in your building — anything goes here as long as you do it for thirty minutes;

2) Muscle strengthening activity including eight to ten exercises involving the major muscle groups, with eight to twelve repetitions each, at least twice a week — Use free weights, a barbell, or a machine that simulates weight lifting by resistance;

3) Balance and flexibility activity at least two days a week — do yoga, pilates, or Tai Chi. And be sure to stretch.

So now you know about the magic bullet for staying healthy. But, even though you know you need to stay active, sometimes, the whole idea of getting up and actually doing it is overwhelming. It is particularly hard to find the time when most of us have such a busy lifestyle. But there’s even more good news about our miracle treatment. For those who hate the gym, workouts, jogging and barbells, there is an alternative called “Exercise Lite”.

Several years ago, a very interesting study was done at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas. 255 volunteers were divided into two groups. One group went to the gym regularly for a standard workout. The other group tried to integrate regular physical activities into their usual daily routines. They would walk up stairs instead of taking an elevator, clean their own houses and apartments, work in their own gardens; in other words, they took every opportunity to do the maximum physical activity with their daily activities. After six months, both groups had improved their fitness levels, lowered their blood pressures, and lost fat. But, after two years, only those in the group that had incorporated fitness into their routines were more likely to maintain their fitness level. Exercise lite worked and kept on working!

To receive the full health benefits as we mentioned above, you need to do at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic (cardio) exercise each day. With exercise lite, you can break it down into 10-minute segments so that the cumulative time is still 30 minutes a day. If you only have a couple of 10 minute breaks a day, go walking for those breaks and then take a quick walk before or after work. You want to shoot for 15-20 minute miles, and you want to get your pulse rate up but still be able to have a conversation. If you garden, you need to do it while moving around a lot, in other words, active gardening. Same thing goes for housework. The vacuum can be your best workout buddy! One easy way to do exercise lite is to wear a pedometer, a little meter you wear on your belt that records your steps. With the pedometer you want to aim for 10,000 steps a day.

Most important, make it fun and you’ll keep doing it. Do things you like. Find a class that is fun or start riding your bicycle or swimming. Get some great music and use it for your activity. If you need support, grab your friends and family to do an activity with you. And remember, don’t tell yourself that you are doing the dreaded “exercise”; fool yourself and have it become a normal part of your daily life.

Before starting any exercise program, check with your doctor!

©2008 Janet Horn, M.D. and Robin H. Miller, M.D.

Author Bio Dr. Janet Horn is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, with training in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She spent many years on the fulltime faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she published articles in medical journals on her research interests, including sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and women’s health. She started her solo private practice in 1990 while continuing to teach as an Associate Professor of Medicine on the part time faculty at Hopkins. She has been selected by Baltimore Magazine as one of the “Top Doctors in Baltimore” and by the Maryland Daily Record as one of the “Top 100 Women in Maryland.”

Dr. Robin Miller, in addition to being an experienced Board Certified Internist, is also an Integrative Medicine specialist, having trained with Dr. Andrew Weil as a Fellow at the University of Arizona. She is the founder and medical director of Triune Integrative Medicine, an innovative medical clinic in Medford, Oregon. She is an award winning medical correspondent on regional and national television, radio, and the internet. She is an award winning medical correspondent on regional and national television, radio, and the internet, the author of a health book for children, Kids Ask the Doctor, and a board member of The National Association of Medical Communicators, a society of medical journalists in all media.

About the Author

Dr. Janet Horn and Dr. Robin Miller are the authors of The Smart Woman’s Guide to Midlife and Beyond, which will be available this September from New Harbinger Publications.

Please visit http://www.SmartWomansHealth.com for more information.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Janet Horn, M.D. and Robin H. Miller, M.D.

RSS Feed

Report Article

Publish Article

Print Article

Add to Favorites

Article Directory
About
FAQ
Contact Us
Advanced Search
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer

GoArticles.com © 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Summer Health Tips for Staying Fit

Article by C. Alexander Hagy

Summer Health Tips for Staying Fit – Health – Fitness

Search by Author, Title or Content

Article ContentAuthor NameArticle Title

Home
Submit Articles
Author Guidelines
Publisher Guidelines
Content Feeds
RSS Feeds
FAQ
Contact Us

Summertime is one of the best times to give your workout routine a jolt because you can do many of your activities outside while enjoying the beautiful weather. But with the summer months also comes very hot weather. If you aren’t careful, you could be doing your body more harm than good. These summer health tips will help you stay safe while getting the exercise you need when the weather starts to heat up.

Exercise Early in the Morning

During the summer, it’s best to do your exercise routine early in the morning. That’s because the temperature is much cooler before the sun is all the way up. Get in the habit now of waking up 30 or 45 minutes earlier than normal so you can get your workout in. If you can’t do that, try doing your exercise regimen in the evening when you get home from work. Once the sun starts to go down, the temperatures will cool and you’ll be able to do your routine with less of a chance of overheating your body.

Drink Plenty of Water

Water is the lifeblood of any body and it keeps the body functioning properly. Unfortunately, many people think that any type of liquid counts toward their water intake, but this simply isn’t true. One of the most important summer health tips is that you should be drinking about 16 ounces of plain (preferably purified) water before, after and during your workout. You should also be drinking water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated. For those rigorous workouts, sports drinks like Gatorade should also be included because they help replace vitamins, minerals and electrolytes that you lose when your body perspires heavily.

Eat Plenty of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

During the summer, you can readily find plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables at your local grocery store for great prices. If you don’t make a habit of eating these foods during the colder months, this is the perfect chance to get used to these fresh foods when they are at their peak. You can buy fresh strawberries and add them to your morning cereal or just eat the fresh food by themselves as snacks. They are packed with nutrients that will help keep your energy up and help your body function properly in the warmer weather.

These basic summer health tips are ideal for helping you stay fit and eat nutritiously during the warmer months. By the end of the summer, you’ll feel great and be trimmed down and you’ll want to keep up those healthy habits during until the next summer season rolls around.

About the Author

C. Alexander Hagy is an experienced health writer with a lot to say! You can read more of his health articles at http://www.allfitnessweb.net

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

C. Alexander Hagy

RSS Feed

Report Article

Publish Article

Print Article

Add to Favorites

Article Directory
About
FAQ
Contact Us
Advanced Search
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer

GoArticles.com © 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Find More Summer Fitness Tips Articles

Staying in Shape After 30

When you’re in your twenties your body seems to almost naturally stay in shape. But when you reach your 30’s all bets are off. It takes more work to stay in shape as you seem to gain weight faster and seem to have much more trouble losing that weight that you gained so quickly.

There are several things you can do to lose weight and stay fit when you reach your 30th year on this planet.

Diet

Diet is the most important aspect of it all. You need to stop eating processed foods. This is an important tip that everyone should follow and not just us dude’s in our 30’s. Processed foods and chemicals are the enemy of humanity. They wreak havoc on our nervous systems, circulatory systems, they’re linked to cancer and hundreds of other illnesses and they are the main cause for the obesity epidemic that is sweeping this country.

You need to eliminate all of the junk food from your life.

Try to get rid of everything that comes in a can (unless it’s fruit or vegetables-but even then you should try and buy fresh). Try not to give into temptation and eat fast food. I know it’s much easier to go through the drive through at McDonald’s than it is to prepare a meal for yourself and your family but if you are really, truly interested in your health then you should stop eating any and all fast foods immediately.

Exercise

This is an important step in staying in shape after 30. Try to do activities you enjoy as this makes exercising that much more fun. Try swimming, racquet ball, tennis, basketball, skiing, bicycling, and more.

Simply changing your diet and exercising can make all the difference in the world when you are trying to stay in shape after 30.