Managing Your Health

When you're in pain, it may be hard to make yourself get up and move. But consider this: A growing body of evidence suggests that spending too many hours sitting is hazardous to your health. Habitual inactivity raises risks for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, deep-vein thrombosis, and metabolic syndrome. Researchers aren't sure why prolonged sitting has such harmful health consequences. But one possible explanation is that it relaxes your largest muscles. When muscles relax, they take up very little glucose from the blood, raising your risk of type 2 diabetes. Sitting can also increase pain. Even if you're reasonably active, hours of sitting -- whether reading a book, working on the computer, or watching TV - lighten the hip flexor and hamstring muscles and stiffen the joints themselves. Overly tight hip flexors and hamstrings affect gait and balance, making activities like walking harder and perhaps even setting you up for a fall. Plus, tight hip flexor...

Joint pain can rob you of life's simple pleasures - you may no longer look forward to walking your dog, gardening, or chasing a tennis ball across the court. Even the basics of getting through your day, like getting into the car or carrying laundry to the basement, can become sharp reminders of your limitations. Common causes of joint pain include arthritis, previous injuries, the strain of repetitive movements, posture problems, aging, or inactivity. It is tempting to avoid the motions that cause you pain. But limiting your movements can weaken muscles and make compound joint trouble worse. But the right exercises performed properly can be a long-fasting way to subdue ankle, knee, hip, or shoulder pain. For some people, the right exercise routine can even help delay or side step surgery. Your goal should be to pair gentle, targeted joint workouts with a simple walking routine. Your doctor should advise you before you begin a new exercise program, but these simple stretching...

Structured workouts are essential for optimal health. But you should also try to stand and move around more during the day, especially if you have a desk job. Sitting for hours on end can increase your risk of serious ailments such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. By contrast, you can lower your risks o all these conditions simply by standing and moving more - even if you already exercise. That's because routine movement during the day adds on to those benefits. That was the conclusion of a large, long-term study of 123,000 middle-aged adults by researchers from the American Cancer Society, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Women who sat the most had a 34% greater risk of dying from any cause over the 14 years of the study compared with those who sat the least. For men, the increase was 17%. When exercise was factored in, the difference was even starker. The most sedentary women, who neither moved nor exercised a lot, were almost twice as lik...

The Physical Activity Guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend at least 150 minutes by week of moderate intensity physical activity -- think of it as 30 minutes, five days a week -- for all adults, even the elderly and disabled. However, you don't have to do all 30 minutes in a single daily session. In fact, the newest guidelines allow you go count all moderate intensity physical exertion throughout the day, even if it's just a few minutes at a time. You can also reach your goal by performing chunks of exercise in 10- or 15-minute blocks throughout the day. For example, do 10 minutes before breakfast, 10 minutes during your lunch break, and another 10 minutes after dinner. Or do 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon. If you're just starting out, gradually build up to 150 minutes a week. If you're already exercising and fit, you can cut your exercise in half - to just 75 minutes a week - by doing vigorous exercis...

Just as there is no magic pill to prevent cognitive decline, no single almighty food can ensure a sharp brain as you age. Nutritionists emphasize that the most important strategy is to follow a healthy dietary pattern that includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Try to get protein from plant sources and fish and choose healthy fats, such as olive oil or canola, rather than saturated fats. That said, certain foods in this overall scheme are particularly rich in healthful components like omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and antioxidants, which are known to support brain health and often referred to as food. Incorporating many of these foods into a healthy diet on a regular basis can improve the health of your brain, which could translate into better mental function. Research shows that the best brain foods are the same ones that protect your heart and blood vessels, including the following: - Green, leafy vegetables. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, col...

Many people think the only reason for regular exercise is tat it helps you maintain a healthy weight. Not true. A sedentary lifestyle can cancel the potential heart benefits of weight control, according to a study published online Dec. 4, 2018, by the American Journal of Cardiology. Researchers looked at five years' worth of health survey responses and weight calculations from thousands of overweight and normal-weight people ages 40 to 79 who'd never had heart disease. Scientists noted the participants' amount of physical activity, then calculated everyone's cardiovascular disease risk. The results: 30% of sedentary people with a normal weight had about the same risk for a heart attack or stroke as people who were overweight. Sedentary adults whose weight was normal also had higher levels of belly fat, shortness of breath upon exertion, and an unhealthy waist circumference compared with normal-weight adults who exercised regularly. However, people with a normal weigh...

Sciatica is one of the most common, yet misunderstood types of pain. As many as 40% of people will get it during their life, and it becomes more frequent as you age. Sciatica tends to get lumped in with regular back pain,  but it is different. The pain originates with the sciatica nerves and often goes away by itself within a few hours or days. However, some attacks can come and go for several weeks or even months. Fortunately, there's a lot you can do to prevent sciatica, as well as relieve the pain. Increase exercise Exercise is a key way to prevent or help relieve sciatica. Consider these types: - Aerobic exercise walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling candancing, and other activities that increase your heart rate without causing more pain if you already have sciatica.  - Strength training: exercises using free weights or weight machines, or isometric exercises, which involve contracting muscles without obvious movement. - Flexibility training: yoga, tai c...