Category Archives for Health & Wellness

The Best Of…Healthy Life Style Key to Losing and Maintaining Weight Loss

Published August  2008, Senior Digest

           Not only are food and gasoline prices skyrocketing nationwide, a growing number of Americans with bulging waist lines are watching their weight steadily increase, too.  Those overweight see diets as a remedy to drop the pounds.  But to most, finding the right weight loss strategy is at most confusing and difficult to follow.

           For over forty years, Donald Grebien, a supply chain manager at the Mansfield, Massachusetts-based American Insulated Wire Corp.(AIW), has always struggled with his waistline.  In high school, Grebien recalls being a ‘chubby senior’, weighing as much as 280 pounds. Even though he managed to shed 30 pounds through regular exercise, eliminating snacks and eating healthy foods, it is still a daily struggle. 

           Grebien’s weight would fluctuate throughout his middle age because of a variety of factors.   His family obligations of raising two small children, combined with the pressures of being a Pawtucket City Councilman, made it extremely difficult for the young man to successfully stick with a diet. It was not until this young City Councilman was faced with high blood pressure, that would ultimately force him to confront his weight issue.

            “Losing weight is a daily battle for me,” says Grebien, who noted that when his weight spiked, it was very uncomfortable wearing tight-fitting clothes.

            Joining Weight Watchers with his wife, Laureen has made a world of difference to Grebien.  He has maintained his weight loss of 10.3 pounds for the last 10 weeks.  “I am on track and feel a lot better,” he says, even noting that his waist line seems to be shrinking a bit.  His workplace even supports his dieting efforts, such as offering on site Weight Watcher classes, a nutrition newsletter and promoting employees walking during their lunch hours.

            While Grebien is tackling his weight problem through the support of his wife and belonging to a community weight loss program, finding the right diet plan or strategy can be difficult chore for many. 

 Tips on Losing Weight

            “Get responsible and sound advice about dieting before you begin,” recommends Randi Belhumeur, a Registered Dietitian who serves as statewide nutrition coordinator for the Rhode Island Health Department’s Initiative for Healthy Weight.  There is no  major expense for the consultation because most health plans now cover nutritional counseling as long as you have a medical diagnoses (including high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes), she says.

             Belhumeur says that a nutritionist can provide specifics as to serving sizes, label reading, meal planning and weight loss goal setting.  When setting your weight loss goals, “always start with small goals that are realistic for you,” she says.  “Losing a pound or two a week is considered by medical experts to be a safe weight loss,” she adds.

            “Don’t forget to dovetail physical activity into your weight loss goals,” suggests Belhumeur.  “If a pedometer tells you that you that the baseline number of steps you take a day is 2,000, increase that number by 1,000 steps,” she says.

            “Always keep an ‘activity and food journal’ also,” adds Belhumeur, who stresses that the documentation will be critical to your losing and maintaining your weight loss.  “You really need to be honest with yourself when you are writing the details down.  Journaling will help you make better food choices and make you aware of what you are eating,” she says.

            Belhumeur also recommends to plan exercising each week by scheduling the time in your Black Berry, Palm Pilot or in your schedule book.  “With exercise, find something you enjoy doing.  If you don’t like going to the gym, you just won’t go.”

            Social support  from family and friends is also very crucial in your efforts to successfully lose weight, notes Belhumeur.  “Weight Watchers is one of the few responsible diet programs that offers group support and sound dieting advice,” she says.

            Finally, Belhumeur says, “Don’t forget the behavioral component of weight loss.”  Psychotherapy or nutritional counseling can be helpful to changing a behavior, like night time eating or eating unhealthy foods at the workplace.      .

 Weight Loss and Lifestyle Changes

            Ray Rickman, senior consultant, for Rhode Island’s Shape Up RI Program, a state-wide exercise and weight challenge program, is not a fan of dieting.  His nonprofit group helps participants  improve their health and lifestyle by increasing their physical activity levels and developing smart eating habits. 

            Supported by Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Life Span, over 12,000 Rhode Islanders, in 13,000 teams participate to see who can lose the greatest percentage of collective team weight, log the most hours of physical activity, and walk the highest number of pedometer steps over a twelve week period.

             The fifty-five year old Eastsider and State Legislator has lost over 20 pounds by following his nonprofit group’s philosophy of reducing daily calorie intake and daily exercise.

            According to Rickman, people become overweight or obese because of their lifestyle and not from medical or chemical imbalance.

             “Most diets you just starve yourself or you eat foods you don’t like,” Rickman says.  “While many people can lose weight by dieting, they usually regain all the weight back within 12 months.” 

            “We consume more food than the body can rid itself of, where portion sizes are increasing”, say Rickman, noting that an ‘unhealthy life style and poor eating’ causes weight gain.  Almost 50 years ago, a typical orange juice serving was 250 calories; today a larger glass increases the calories to 800, he adds. 

            “In every area of our lives we try to find ways to not exercise,” Rickman notes.  “Go into a four story building and you will see people waiting for an elevator to go to the second floor, rather than just walking up two flights of stairs.  Or watch shoppers wait for a parking space close to the grocery store’s entrance rather than parking farther away.”

            To successfully lose weight, find out how many calories you need a day, based on your height and weight, Rickman recommends. “ He estimates that eating 200 fewer calories along with exercise will help you lose a 1/16 of a pound a day.  In just one month , a person can lose 2 pounds. In one year, you can expect to lose at least 25 pounds.

            Exercise does not have to be grueling.  Rickman says, “Go to the grocery store and park in the last spot on the lot where the employees park. By doing this you can lose 1/36 of a pound by choosing not to park near the entrance.  Walking up three flights of stairs will also help you lose 1/36 of a pound. 

            Brown Medical Student, Rajiv Kumar, Founder of Shape Up RI program, sees long-term sustained weight loss for those participating in his program.  The average weight loss per person is 10 pounds with preliminary research indicating that 70 percent of the participants have kept their weight off for six months. 

           For chronic dieters like Grebien (or this writer) who work daily to shed pounds, the secret to successfully losing and maintaining weight loss may well be tied to healthy eating habits, exercise and an active social network to create accountability and motivation, It’s as simple as that.

            Herb Weiss is a Pawtucket-based health care writer who covers aging, health care, and medical issues.  He can be reached at hweissri@aol.com.  This article appeared in August 2008 issue of Senior Digest.

The Best Of…Ten Simple Tips for Staying Fit

Published September 26, 2008, All Pawtucket All The Times

         In their younger years aging baby boomers never went onto the basket ball court without wearing their Converse, Reebok, Nike, New Balance or Nautilus tennis shoes.  This generation with their strong interest in health and fitness will not spend their retirement years as a couch potato watching television or sitting in an oak rocker on their porch.  With winter approaching, aging baby boomers can work to stay slim, trim and fit by remaining physically active.

            According to the International Council on Active Aging, aging baby boomers can become physically fit by simply following these tips:

1,  See your physician.   A medical checkup will determine whether you need to consider any medical clarifications before starting an exercise program.  Talk with your physician about any of your concerns or limitations.  After a day or two of exercise, if you experience major discomfort from working out including shortness of breath, headaches, chest pains, sore muscles and dizziness, see your physician.

2.   Look at options.  Do you join a local gym, aerobics in your house, enroll in a yoga class, make time for a daily walk in your neighborhood.  The key to your fitness success is doing your activities regularly.

3.  Know your style.  Some may like to take classes, others may prefer to go solo.  Exercising indoors may be more acceptable to some then outdoor physical activities.  Your schedule may also dictate when you can block out time, either in the morning, lunch time or evening, for your daily fitness program. 

4.  Start off slowly.  Learn to listen to your body. Be realistic when you begin to exercise and don’t overdo it at the beginning.   To reduce soreness and injury always ease your way into your fitness program.

5.  Get a buddy.  An exercise partner can be a great motivator in getting you started and to maintain a daily exercise regimen.  Whether it’s making a date with a friend to take a walk, play racket ball or golf or regularly seeing a personal trainer at your local gym, the personal interaction can motivate you to continue to exercise.

6.  Be realistic.  Don’t try to workout like you did in your younger years.  Always be realistic, setting age-related goals you expect to gain from participating in a physical exercise program.  If enormous benefits do not occur, like losing 30 pounds in one month, you might feel disappointed and quit exercising. 

7.  Make choices.  What are you willing to give up to make room for exercise?  What bad habits, (like smoking, drinking, sedentary and nonproductive activities, are you willing to give up?  It is up to you to choose wisely.

8.  Keep in motion.  Keeping moving all day long. Stretch, walk, march in place, stand and sit daily as often as you can when you are talking on the phone or watching television.  Every step counts.  A step counter will give you an idea as to how many steps you take a day.  Less active people may take about 4,000 steps or fewer per day.  Aim to do 250 to 1,000 additional steps of brisk walking, until you reach 8,000 to 10,000 steps in a day. 

9.   Create a support network.  Get your friends, colleagues and family members to support your new physical activity goals and ask them for their support and encouragement.  Consider getting others to help you keep your physical exercise commitments.  Telephone reminders from your vast network can keep you motivated and on track.

10.  Always Reward yourself.  Once you’ve reached your goals, recognize that milestone.  Treat yourself to something that reminds you what has been accomplished and encourages you to continue. 

One Final Note…Gold’s Gym Opens New Pawtucket Facility

            Finding the right gym can be as easy as getting referrals from your family and friends or shopping around for the right price or specific services that you need, says Mike Kasun, a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym, located at 550 Pawtucket Avenue in Pawtucket. “There are many gyms out there that may be cheaper than others but they just don’t offer a wide range of services.  Price, services provided, classes, and the gym’s location (being close to home or work) are key factors that people should consider when shopping around for a gym membership, he says.    

            Last Saturday,Pawtucket’s Gold’s Gym, officially opened its newly refurbished 25,000 square foot building with state-of-the art exercise equipment, notes Kasun. The new gym facility has 60 pieces of cardio equipment each with their own 14-inch plasma television; 105 pieces of resistance-training equipment, a “Cardio Cinema” where you exercise while watching a full length feature movie, a private woman’s workout room, along with a country club-like locker room. Two hundred free parking spaces surround the new gym.

            When joining Gold’s Gym, a new member receives two free personal training sessions, Kasun tells Your Later Years. “At your first session we assess what the person needs and wants to get out of their membership. Some may want to tone or lose weight while others are more interested in building up muscle strength, he notes. 

            “With information and health data gathered during this initial assessment a workout program can be especially designed for the individual.  During the second session the member is taken through a one hour work out specifically designed for them,” adds Kasun.

            Group exercise programs are also included in the Gold’s Gym’s membership price.   Kasun notes, “We have Les Mills Body Pump Class, offering a full body workout for participants using light weights.  Yoga, Step and other toning classes are also available, too,” he says, noting that all of the personal training staff is nationally certified in the classes they teach.

            Pawtucket’s Gold’s Gym, one of 650 locations nationwide offer AARP members the ability to enroll for only $49 and a savings of up to a 20 percent on their monthly membership as well as a seven day free trial membership period.  For more information, call Gold’s Gym at (401)722-6600.

            Herb Weiss is a Pawtucket-based freelance writer who covers aging, medical and health care issues.  This article appeared in the September 26, 2008 issue of My Back Yard.   He can be reached at hweissri@aol.com.

The Best of…Don’t Fall Flat on Your Face: Simple Tips to Keeping Standing

Published July 11, 2008, All Pawtucket All The Time

I  know how easy it is to fall.  On March 14th, leaving the War in Iraq Art Exhibit this writer, an aging baby boomer, fell down several steep steps, tripping after he walked through the huge wooden front door, falling down several slippery steps in front of the historic Pawtucket Armory onto the front sidewalk.   Thank God…No serious injury, only a bruised ego and shins, and scuffed up palms. .

Three months later, within weeks of each other, two of my older friends, in their seventies, unexpectedly fell.  One tripped on a rug in his kitchen breaking several ribs.  The other one fell down a flight of stairs outside his bedroom injuring his spine. Luckily, both are on the mend, slowly recuperating in their homes.

But for others who were not so lucky as my elderly friends, traumatic brain injuries due to falls caused nearly 8,000 deaths and 56,000 hospitalizations in 2005 among Americans age 65 and older, according to a new report released last month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  .

The national report notes that traumatic brain injuries, (called TBIs), are caused by a bump or blow to the head; however, they maybe missed or misdiagnosed among older adults. TBI often results in long-term cognitive, emotional, and/or functional impairments. In 2005, TBIs accounted for 50 percent of unintentional fall deaths and 8 percent of nonfatal fall-related hospitalizations among older adults.

According to the CDC report, each year, one in three older Americans (65 and older) falls, and 30 percent of falls cause injuries requiring medical treatment. In 2005, nearly 16,000 older adults died from falls, 1.8 million older adults were treated in emergency departments, and 433,000 of these patients were hospitalized. Falls were the leading cause of injury deaths and nonfatal injuries for those 65 and over.

Falls are not an inevitable consequence of aging, the researchers say, but they do occur more often among older adults because risk factors for falls are usually associated with health and aging conditions.  These conditions include mobility problems due to muscle weakness or poor balance, loss of sensation in feet, chronic health conditions, vision changes or loss, medication side effects or drug interactions, and home and environmental hazards such as clutter or poor lighting.

“Most people think older adults may only break their hip when they fall, but our research shows that traumatic brain injuries can also be a serious consequence,” said Dr. Ileana Arias, director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, in her statement announcing the release of her agency’s report.  “These injuries can cause long-term problems and affect how someone thinks or functions.  They can also impact a person’s emotional well-being.”

Reducing falls can be a simple as removing obvious household hazards along with adding or improving simple safety features in the home, notes an AARP spokesperson in response to CDC’s released report.  The Washington, DC-based nonprofit group represents over 39 million members, age 50 plus, in the United States.

According to AARP, studies indicate that half of all falls happen at home and research suggests that one-third of home accidents can be prevented by easy home updates and preventative maintenance.

It’s easy to fall-proof your home, AARP says.  Aging baby boomers or the elderly parents can:  Install handrails on both sides of all steps (both in and outside);  Secure all carpets and area rugs with double-sided tape;  Install easy to grasp shaped handles for all drawers and cabinet doors; Use brighter bulbs in all lighting fixtures;  Install night lights in all areas of night activity;  Add reflective, non-slip tape on all non-carpeted stairs;  Install lever handles for all doors;  Place a bench near entrances for setting down purchases and resting;  Install closet lights, as well as adjustable rods and shelves; Install rocker light switches; and consider illuminated ones in select areas.

Finally, why not check out your local hardware stores, too, the businesses even carry many of the products to make simple updates to homes. For homeowners making more extensive renovations, AARP recommends that they consider hiring a contractor who is licensed, certified and bonded to do work in that particular location. A Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) is a professional designation signaling that contractors have had specified additional training, but homeowners should still ask for documentation that the contractor is licensed or certified and bonded.

Herb Weiss is a Pawtucket-based freelance writer who covers medical, aging and health care issues. The article was published in the July 11, 2008 issue of All Pawtucket All The Time.  He can be reached at hweissri@aol.com.