Balance Your Health

Which Exercise Is Best For You?

If you are at all even a little health conscious, you already know the benefits of exercise:

• Reduces the risk of disease;
• Increases stamina;
• Builds strength;
• Burns calories;
• And relieves stress.

What you may not have considered is that exercising the wrong activity can be depressing or even harmful. For instance, let's say you are overweight and need to lose 45 pounds. If you start off with a vigorous running program, you are likely to not only end up sore but your knees and hips will probably hurt because the exercise may be too hard and overwhelm your joints at your current weight. Not only that, you probably won't burn off more than a couple of pounds in a month and that will be disappointing.

One of the first things you need to do is to figure out WHY you are exercising, what is the purpose of your exercising, and then find the exercises that fulfill that purpose the best. I am going to describe several possibilities in the next few posts. I thought it fitting that this first post describe what you can do to reduce your risk of disease because this type of exercise needs to become part of your lifestyle. After all, as long as you are living your body will do its best to protect you.

Any regular exercise that requires continued movement, such as walking or bicycling, reduces your risk of major diseases including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and probably cancer. The more intense your work out the more you reduce your risk. However, the greatest benefit is for inactive people who start doing even a little exercise.

To get that modest, disease preventing dose of exercise you don't need special work out clothes. Gardening, dancing, and chasing after your grand children are moderate exercises. You could add some exercise into your daily routine by parking your car two or three blocks from the office and walking or doing the housecleaning and gardening with more speed and energy.

You may also consider taking on some strength training because it reduces your risk of osteoporosis, the loss of bone mass. Strength training workouts put more pressure on your bones, especially your spine than nonweight bearing exercises such as swimming or cycling or even moderately weight bearing exercise such as walking. Keeping your bones in shape will keep you exercising longer without problems which mean your body will be able to fight off disease that much longer.

Those are all good things and certainly worth the exercise.

To your success at a balanced life.

Ruthan Brodsky

Prevent Blisters

 If you have ever sat at poolside you already know that not all feet look alike. Feet are structurally different and the way your feet are made may place extra pressure on weight-bearing areas. Sometimes this pressure produces blisters but

only during certain activities such as running but not walking.

If you find that you are one of those who develops blisters in specific areas, you may require special custom-made insoles to prevent a recurrence. This is a very good reason to make an appointment with a podiatrist, particularly if you have a chronic disease such as diabetes. You don't need the problem of open sores that don't heal, especially when blisters can be prevented.

Another way to get a blister is to purchase new shoes that may not fit exactly. There is nothing worse than a blister, a red, burning sore, puffed up and filled with fluid that appeared because the shoe rubbed your skin the wrong way.

The fact is most blisters are preventable if you wear shoes that fit correctly with a sock that cushions. This is very important if you bought those new shoes for your revise goal to exercise more often.

However, if you tend to get blisters whenever you are

breaking in new shoes, even when you are wearing

socks, try these steps to prevent blisters:

·     Put petroleum jelly or foot powder on the

most sensitive spots on your feet including

the backs of your heels, the balls of your feet,

and tops and sides of your toes.

·     Cushion these spots by inserting moleskin

pads in your shoes.

To your success for healthy feet.

Ruthan Brodsky

Vitamin D with Calcium Makes the Difference

I know the research re vitamin D has been out for some time because for the past 2 years my primary doctor has recommended I increase the amount of vitamin D supplements I take. He usually tests vitamin D levels from a fasting blood sample and goes by the guidelines recommended by nutritional research because it's been known for some time that the body requires vitamin D to make use of dietary calcium.

The Calcium Question

I learned that calcium was the first defense against osteoporosis. In my studies on aging I was taught that consuming calcium rich foods and taking calcium supplements is the way to prevent osteoporosis. Today that theory is in question. There is now a growing consensus in the medical community that we need to increase the recommended daily intake of vitamin D as the premiere nutrient in the battle against osteoporosis. Calcium is falling or has fallen out of favor.

Even the National Osteoporosis Foundation updated their recommendations for calcium and vitamin D. According to the new NOF guidelines, adults under age 50 need 1,000 mg of calcium daily. Adults age 50 and over need 1,200 mg of calcium daily.

Actually, these are the amounts that you should be getting from your food sources together with your supplements. For years, we women have been hammered on that we are not getting enough calcium so it is not unusual for many of us to now take 1500 mg or more a day just in supplement form.

The problem is most of get about 600 to 750 mg of calcium in our diet. Another 1500 mg is clearly overkill.

There is not much evidence that too much calcium does any good, and it may not be harmful. However, it can be constipating.

Part of the problem is that the science behind calcium supplementation is not simple. In fact, recent research seems to offer opposite answers about whether you should or should not take extra calcium. To get the most out of your bone and health efforts, it is important to understand that bone is not just calcium and that calcium does not function in isolation.

More on calcium in my next post to help you answer the calcium question.

To your success at a healthy and well balanced life,

Ruthan Brodsky

Tips on Finding the Right Shoe For You

Feet are amazing. They contain over 2 dozen bones, ligaments, muscles and they support us. They hold us up. They also are impacted by every step we take or don't take. I say that because how many of you end up with swollen feet after sitting at your computer for over two hours?

The good news is that shoes were invented to help us take care of our feet. They protect our feet from the elements. They give added support to our feet and ankles. They can address some of our foot problems such as low arches or too high an arch or weak ankles.

If you want your feet to carry you around for the rest of your life, pay more attention to what they need. Wearing the right size shoe is a basic first step. Shoes that are too small are one of the major reasons for foot pain and problems. Shoes that are too big can cause blistering and can make you unstable.

Keep in mind, that just because you knew your shoe size a few years ago doesn't mean it is the same; feet, like people, change as they get older. Only you can tell if a shoe fits when you're purchasing a new pair. If they aren't comfortable, don't buy them.

Do not plan on stretching your shoes as you wear them. If you already own shoes that are too tight, ask your shoe repair shop if they can be stretched.

Feet do spread with age, so have your feet measured every time you buy shoes. Both feel should be measured because they often are different sizes. When you buy shoes, buy them for the larger foot.

Hope these tips are helpful. If you have more tips to help our readers find shoes that fit, type them in the comment window. Thanks for sharing.

To you healthy success.

Ruthan Brodsky

This ebook may help relieve you of your foot pain from Platar Fasciitis

Foot Faults from Fashion

I was at the airport last weekend and was flabbergasted at the number of women taking very small steps and appearing very stiff. They all had one thing in common: very high heels, some even in stilettos. Why anyone would wear those running around in an airport is beyond me because if they had to run to catch a flight, they would never make it!

The problem is that wearing high heels today may hurt just a little right now, but bigger foot problems are in store for the young ladies in the years to come. And let's face it, most of the women wearing those shoes were under 30 although there was a couple in their 40s, and one at least 50 something but she looked like she was in pain already.

I bring all this up to you because a study was published in September that showed people who make poor shoe choices when they're young, by wearing unsupportive footwear like high heels and sandals and slippers are at a much higher risk for foot pain as they get older.

Published in Arthritis Care & Research, the researchers examined over 3,300 adults who participated in the Framingham Foot Study. They also found out that men don't experience the same type of foot pain as women primarily because of the type of shoes they wear. Researchers found no link between foot pain and shoe choice among men because only 2 percent wore bad shoes.

No matter what your age, be cautious when it comes to buying shoes. Your feet have an awful lot to support.

To your success at balancing your health.

Ruthan Brodsky

P.S. Attention runners. Many of the marathons are over and if you're left with heel spurs and arch pain you will want to learn more how you can get a hold of this excellent book about plantar fasciitis.

What You Can Do About An Ingrown Toe Nail

The medical term for this painful condition is onychocryptosis. It usually happens on the big toe when a corner of the toenail curves down and digs into the skin. Left untreated or undetected, an ingrown toenail can infect the underlying bone and lead to serious infection.

If your symptoms are minor such as the toe being red and not very painful, and you don't have a complicated condition such as diabetes, you can take some simple measures at home to treat your ingrown toe nail.

• Soak the foot in lukewarm water 2 or 3 times a day for 15 minutes. I always add Epsom salts but I'm told there's no scientific evidence this will heal anything or help the pain.
• Massage the skin at the side of the toenail gently pushing it away from the nail.
• Some suggest placing cotton under your toenail after soaking to help the nail grow above the skin edge. Some doctors say this is too risky because it traps bacteria.
• However, do apply a topical antibiotic such as Neosporin or Polysporin or bacitracin. Cover the area with a band aid.
• Wear sandals or other low-heeled open-toed shoes whenever possible.

Preventing Ingrown Toenails

• Wear low-heeled shoes that have enough room at the toes. If you wear stockings wear moisture-wicking socks so your toes move freely.
• Keep your feet clean and dry.
• Use a toenail clipper (not a fingernail clipper).
• Cut your toenails across, going with the curve. Do not round the corners down and don't cut the toenails too short.

If your toenail becomes infected it's time to see a doctor such as a podiatrist (foot care specialist) or a dermatologist. You may need to take oral antibiotics for an infection and the doctor may have to remove the ingrown part of your nail.

Painful feet can make your day miserable.  Take good care of what keeps you mobile and they will take good care of you.

To your success at balancing your health.

Ruthan Brodsky

Othoses for Relief of Foot and Back Pain

"Are you gellin?"

It's a silly add for Dr. Scholl foot inserts but it can't be that bad because I remember it, and after all, that's what it's all about.

I wear inserts in my tennis and walking and unning shoes. If my shins start hurting I know the inner sole has worn out and I need to replace it with a new inner sole.

These are called shoe inserts or foot orthoses and they help absorb some of the stress and shock that comes when you walk or run or on your feet a lot. They are worn by teens and people in their eighties. They know no age limit.

Each foot is composed of 33 joints, 26 bones and something like 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments. The force on your feet from walking around all day can equal several tons. It's a wonder everything works as well as it does.

Orthotics is the profession which designs the custom designed special devices that are usually prescribed by podiatrists. They are usually built to support or correct musculoskeletal problems. I wore custom orthoses for a dozen years in my active shoes, even in my golf shoes. I gave them up a few years ago and just purchase orthoses off-the-shelf. I haven't had any problems since I stopped using them so I feel comfortable I made the right decision.

 I like the orthoses, the shoe inserts, because they cushion and absorb when I'm running and walking. I believe they also help to distribute the impact more evenly across the foot. My notion would be to first try an off-the-shelf orthoses which may give you enough relief before you invest $125-$250 in a pair that are custom designed for you.

If you have a particular problem, however, you should see a podiatrist and work out a special designed orthoses.

I welcome your story and advice also. Scroll down to comments and type your advice in the blank window.

To your good health.

Ruthan Brodsky

The Vitamin D Difference with Calcium

 

The daylight hours get a little shorter and the articles and sound bytes about getting enough calcium are everywhere. Especially as you get older – over 40 – you are constantly reminded to get enough calcium. The drugstores promote their own brands and all the other brands. Even the antacid promotions tout their benefits for ones.

 

The most recent research points out, however, that it may not be a good idea to take too much calcium. There is so much information out there about calcium that I have to admit I get confused over the contradictory information especially when it comes to keep your bones strong as you age.

 

One study in 2007, for instance, reviewed more than a dozen other studies and clinical trials and concluded there was no benefit to consuming greater-than-average amounts of calcium. But another more recent studied reported that daily calcium supplementation reduced the participants' risk of fracture by 72%.

Caring for Your Feet

When your feet hurt it’s tough to think about taking care of the rest of yourself. The weight of the world may be on your shoulders, but it’s your feet that carry you around.

Regardless of your approach to your health – traditional, holistic, green –

When you’re feet hurt nothing works. You can’t exercise. It’s an effort to move anywhere. It’s even hard to smile because you’re hurting.

Most foot problems can be prevented. Most foot problems have solutions – some are simple, some may require medical treatment and some may require surgery. Some foot problems may even be genetic and you can’t blame yourself or your boss or spouse. What’s important is that you can prevent most of the common foot problems and that’s where we should all begin because many problems are caused by a history of neglect, abuse , and again by a lack of proper footwear. Click here for tips on buying shoes that fit.

Practice Good Foot Care

Check your feet regularly. Podiatrists and primary care doctors are qualified to treat most foot problems. They’re likely to recommend a dermatologist or orthopedic surgeon if you need one.

Maintain Good Circulation in Your Feet

Prop your feet up whenever you can – at your desk, reading, watching TV. This helps to keep blood from poking in your leg veins and discourages foot swelling.

While your feet are up, rotate them around to stretch your ankles and calves. Ladies, this can help get the kinks out after high heeled shoes.

Get up and stretch if you’ve been sitting for a long time.

Avoid sitting a long time with your legs crossed

Take a warm foot bath, in soapy water. This will help relax your feet. Epsom salt foot baths can dry out your skin. Don’t do this if you have diabetes.

If your feet are dry, apply a lotion, two or three times a day.

If your feet are cold, wear socks or hose to keep them warm.

Have a foot massage. You can relieve heel pain by rolling a golf ball or tennis ball with the arch of your foot.

Wear comfortable shoes.

Maintain a healthy weight. Shedding extra weight can take a load off your feet.

See a doctor if you have continual pain, swelling, stiffness, redness, numbness or unusual sensations in your feet. If you have diabetes or a circulatory disorder, it’s important to have your feet checked regularly by a foot doctor. Don’t self treat unless your doctor approves, because of the increased risk of infection.

Love to hear what you do for your aching feet.

Or better yet what you do not to have aching feet.

How about you walkers and runners. What do you do to keep your feet in shape?

To your successful health.

Ruthan

www.balanceyourhealth.com, www.upsideofaging.com

www.theagingofanorexia.com

Ruthan Brodsky helps health care providers and entrepreneurs market their services and products with content marketing and information products.