Helping your Valentine stay “Heart Healthy”

Valentine’s Day is over and we gave our hearts to the people we love most in our lives.  What better time of year to make sure that the heart we gave so freely is the healthiest heart it can be?  Sometimes the people we care about most need a little help and encouragement in recognizing the habits they should embrace to improve their cardiovascular health so that they can be around for many Valentine’s Days to come!  Here are some ideas to help make improving heart health a shared effort  that can help improve your wellbeing in addition to bringing you closer together with your spouse or loved ones.

Grocery shop together!

Pick certain nights of the week where you each get to pick a healthy recipe to try for dinner that night.  Take your spouse to the grocery store to pick out the ingredients for the meal.  Once the ingredients are gathered, cook together as a couple or a family.  Since you are spending more time in the kitchen now, take time to re-organize the kitchen together.  Replacing less healthy foods with more nutritious options or making them less conspicuous so they are not your first choice when searching for a snack.

Exercise together!

Who says your workout buddy cannot be your spouse?  Sign up to take a class together, or if you are already taking a class, invite your spouse or significant other to see what it is like.  Find something that you both enjoy and you will be more likely to stick with it, all the while spending time together!

Make it a date!

Instead of going out for dinner at a restaurant where it is easy to have your efforts sabotaged, take your spouse out dancing or some other physical activity.  Go for a bike ride or a long walk to get some exercise and get closer with each other.  And keep in mind that being intimate is an excellent form of exercise and decreases stress too!

So this month, make it a point for you and your valentine to implement one of these ideas into your routine.  Hopefully it will lead you both to a more heart healthy lifestyle while bringing you closer together.

- Ryan Schaul, MPT

Happy New Year!

 

Do you want to increase your physical activity?

Start drinking less pop? Do you want to lose weight?

Or increase your fruit and vegetable consumption?

 

Well, each year everyone has their own resolution, and I want to help you

achieve yours by giving four tips to remember in 2014!

 

 

If you are trying to eat healthier this year:

     1. Stay motivated by not going cold turkey on your current diet!

• Avoid restricting foods. Instead, start by consuming them less frequently because it’s inevitable that you will want them even more by the end of your day. Remember moderation is key.

     2.  Gradually increase that food into your diet that you want more of!

• If you want to consume more vegetables for example, instead of sitting down with a bowl of raw carrots. Try adding them into a soup, or spicing them up with cinnamon and (a dash of) sugar!

 

If you are trying to increase your physical fitness this year:

      3. If you don’t know how to do something, ASK!

• The last thing you need to start off your new year is to get injured because you thought you knew how to do that one exercise. Easy solution! You can either ask a friend or family member who is knowledgeable, the internet has thousands of resources for every exercise imaginable, or you can find a personal trainer near you!

     4.  If you have experience in exercising, and you’re ready to challenge your body

          to a new level this year remember, you CAN!

• Even though it may make you nervous to try something new, with the right coaching or training from an individual you can totally hit your cardio or weightlifting goals. Maybe you want to run your first 5k? Or accomplish a personal record in lifting? When it comes down to it before you have second thoughts, remind yourself how far you have come, and know that you CAN do it!

 Cheers to a healthy New Year, and You!

Written by Alexis D’Ascenzo, Dietetic Student at University of Illinois at Chicago, CPT



                                         

                                                               New Year, New You            

Most of us make New Year’s resolutions that relate to losing weight, eating healthier or exercising.  These are great goals, but most of us unfortunately do not keep those resolutions much past the month of February! 

We recently contributed to an article in the Suburban Life Magazine about how to keep those resolutions.  Here were some of the tips…

• Make small, realistic goals.  Instead of saying, “I’m going to lose 50 pounds.” Start by trying to exercising 2 times/week.
• Keep track.  Keep a journal of your workouts and eating habits.  If you know you have to record it, you’re more likely to do it!
• Wear a pedometer.  Try to walk 10,000 steps per day.  This may require  you to take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the edge of the lot, and take a break from your computer every 30 minutes for a short walk.
• Reward yourself.  After a month of sticking to your goal, reward yourself with a new pair of shoes or a massage.
• Be realistic.  Saying you are never going to eat out is unrealistic.  Make a goal to only eat out 1-2 times/week instead.
• Plan ahead. Pack your lunch and snacks the night before.  If you know where you are eating out, check the menu online before you go to help make a healthier choice.

To see the full article, log on to www.mysuburbanlife.com/magazine/

 

This year we challenged you to take the expert advice on nutrition and fitness from a combination of professionals from TheraCORE and Jim Karas Personal Training in our New Year, New You Challenge!  We kicked off the event Monday with 8 participants, all looking for some direction in leading healthier lives. Between meeting with our registered dietician, learning proper body mechanics and injury prevention tips from our doctors of physical therapy, and working out with certified personal trainers, these participants are sure to achieve some of their resolutions within the next eight weeks of the challenge.  We are looking forward to seeing the results and hope to see more of you participate next year! Remember…It’s never too late to become what you might have been!

-Amy Goebbert, DPT

Winter is here!

It’s getting to be that time of year again…

     As the weather gets colder and my husband works later I am beginning to think about how I will have to start shoveling snow in the very near future. This may be a good thing since my workouts have been getting less and less with work, the girls, and well; it seems like just about everything.

      I was reading this study in the Journal of the American Medical Association about the demands of shoveling heavy snow on the cardiovascular system. They observed 10 healthy men (average age of 32) who completed 10 minutes of manual shoveling. Heart rates were then compared to these same men after performing a max arm cycling test and a max treadmill test. At the 10 minute mark of manual shoveling, the average heart rate of the participants was at approximately 97% of their max heart rates!

     Another source I read stated that on average a person who weighs 200 pounds can burn over 400 calories when shoveling heavy snow for 30 minutes!

Now that I know exactly how taxing it is on the cardiovascular system, I just wanted to post a few tips to help all of us perform this activity safely.

1    1.    It’s important to warm up before shoveling snow. This may sound silly, but this can’t be looked at as a chore, it needs to be looked at as high intensity exercise. Walk around a little bit to loosen up the muscles and get the blood flowing. Do a few planks, wall push-ups and some stretches for your legs so your body is ready for the high demand you are going to place on it. Then stretch out afterward before you run in for your hot chocolate!

2     2.    Lift correctly!! Bending incorrectly, twisting, or carrying heavy loads of snow can lead to back and hamstring injuries. Make sure to always use your legs when lifting snow and tighten your lower abdominal muscles. Keep the shovel as close to your body as possible and when you go to throw the snow away, use your quads and butt muscles to extend your legs instead of your back. Don’t twist!!

3     3.    Don’t try to lift heavier loads of snow than you can handle. Instead, take lighter loads, practice using your stomach and leg muscles to enhance your workout. It may add 15 minutes to your snow shoveling time, but it will prevent future low back injuries in the long run.

     So I am trying hard to stop being annoyed at the falling snow, but instead look at all the fitness benefits it can offer me. Remember, snow shoveling is a high – intensity workout that can raise heart rate and blood pressure higher than treadmill running, so be safe. I may even find my Christmas spirit and help out my neighbor….then I can afford to eat a few more Christmas cookies!

    Remember, both TheraCORE locations offer complimentary injury screenings, don't hesitate to call and make an appointment.

Jen Bazan, DPT

TheraCORE Physical Therapy