The term “toxic environment” was popularized years ago to refer to conditions that promote the consumption of high-calorie, unhealthy food and encourage being physically inactive. This combination is thought to be a major factor that contributes to obesity and other chronic diseases, so understanding both aspects is important. For now, lets focus on our toxic food environment, which I do in my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week.
Posted in Health & Fitness
Tagged diet, food, health, healthy eating, nutrition, weight loss
Most of us could benefit from getting more exercise and, with spring on the way, this is a perfect time to get started. You can meet minimum health recommendations with a 30-minute brisk walk five days per week. You can get even greater fitness benefits by exercising for longer or by doing more vigorous activity, like running. A good goal is to be active every day for at least 30 minutes and include longer or more vigorous exercise sessions when possible.
Many people are motivated by having a goal to begin or add to an exercise program. You may find that training for an event is more rewarding than exercising for the sake of being active. An excellent goal is to prepare to walk or run in a local race. Don’t let the word “race” scare you. Most people who enter these events have the goal of finishing, not winning. That should be your goal, too.
Now is a great time to start training for your first race. The weather is an incentive to be active outdoors because it’s not too hot to be enjoyable. There are several events in our community in the upcoming months that are excellent opportunities for first timers and more seasoned racers. Many events are linked to charities, so they are also good ways to raise money for a good cause.
One example is our area is the Run United event on April 25, which consists of a 5K (5 kilometers or 3.1 miles), 10K (10 kilometers or 6.2 miles), a half marathon (13.1 miles), and a kids fun run. Almost everyone can participate in one of these events with some preparation, so it is a perfect event for the whole family.
If you are starting to walk for exercise, completing a 5K walk is a good goal. Start with a target of 20 minutes of walking per day. You can split this up into 10 minute segments, if necessary. After you are comfortable walking 20 minutes at a time, increase to 30 minutes per day. Continue increasing your walking time until you are up to 45-60 minutes per day, about how long it takes most people to walk three miles. If you already do some walking, gradually build up to this goal.
Maybe you already walk and are interested in trying running. Preparing for a 5K or 10K is great motivation. Start by adding some jogging into your walking routine. Try alternating 5 minutes of jogging with 10 minutes of walking. Once you are comfortable with that, try 5 minutes of jogging for every 5 minutes of walking. Increase the duration of the running intervals over time, until you can run for at least 30 minutes for a 5K or 60 minutes for a 10K consecutively. If running three or six miles is too much, you can always complete those races by alternating walking and running. Completing the half marathon will require more dedicated training, building up to running (or a run/walk combination) for over two hours. To reduce the risk of injury you should progress slowly, whether you are walking or running. This is particularly important if you are building up to a longer event, like a 10K or half marathon.
Even if you don’t plan to participate in one of these events, the opportunity to get outdoors for a walk or run on a nice day is reason enough to be active. Use this as an opportunity to get your friends and family moving with you. Kids can ride their bike while you walk or run and you can push younger children in a stroller. Older children may want to walk or run with you, and don’t forget to bring your dog!
Posted in Health & Fitness
Tagged 10k run, 5K run, fitness, half marathon, marathon, Run United, running, training
February is Heart Month, an ideal time to assess your risk of heart disease and take steps to improve your health. This is important because heart disease, sometimes called coronary artery disease, is the leading cause of death among adults in the United States. It is responsible for nearly 600,000 deaths each year, mostly from heart attacks. Millions more are at increased risk because of certain biological and behavioral risk factors.
Posted in Health & Fitness
Heart disease, sometimes called coronary artery disease, is caused by atherosclerosis, a process which involves the accumulation of cholesterol plaques in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. These plaques can narrow the blood vessels and reduce blood and oxygen delivery to the heart (called ischemia), leading to symptoms like chest pain. The plaques can also rupture and form a blood clot, blocking oxygen delivery and causing a myocardial infarction—a heart attack.
Posted in Health & Fitness
February is American Heart Month, with a focus on encouraging all of us to make heart-healthy choices to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. I thought that sharing some information about the heart, how it works, and how to keep it healthy would be an appropriate way to celebrate.
Posted in Health & Fitness
Chronic stress can have serious emotional, psychological, and physiological effects that contribute to or exacerbate many health problems. In fact, the negative health effects of chronic stress are like those of eating a poor diet or not getting enough physical activity. That said, managing stress, including getting enough sleep, is often overlooked as a key component of good health.
Posted in Health & Fitness
Tagged health, mental health, sleep, stress, stress management, wellness
I have been writing about four important ways to improve your health: move more, eat smart, chill out, and make it work for you. I previously explained with importance of physical activity for health and why move more is first on my list.
Now let’s turn our attention to the role of food and eating in promoting good health. No question, for many people, changing the way they eat can make a huge difference in the way they feel and their current and future health.
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a time to celebrate the birthday and reflect on the accomplishments and legacy of Dr. King. It is also a national day of service on which people are encouraged to use their day off from work or school to volunteer in their community. Individuals and groups across the country participate in community service, with some making this their first-time volunteer effort and many more continuing a year-round commitment to service.
Posted in Health & Fitness
Tagged community-service, exercise, fitness, health, weight loss, wellness
Last week I wrote about four simple but powerful steps to improve your health: move more, eat smart, chill out, and make it work for you. All four matter—but “move more” comes first for a reason. If there were one single thing most people could do to improve their health, becoming more physically active would be the most important.
Many people start off the New Year with a general desire to improve their health. But being “more healthy” can include an almost endless list of changes, leaving people unsure of where to begin. Furthermore, there is a perception that you have to implement all of the changes simultaneously or follow a complicated program in order to see results.
But it doesn’t need to be this way. Fortunately, there are a few simple guidelines that have the potential to lead to significant improvements in health, fitness, and wellbeing.
Posted in Health & Fitness
Tagged behavior change, diet, exercise, fitness, health, healthy eating, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, wellness
Dr Parr Says... 