By this point in time I am guessing you have already read more than one story about how to stick to your New Year’s resolutions, so I don’t think there is a need for me to add anything in that regard.
Fortunately, there were a couple of interesting stories this week related to health and fitness that I would like to share with you.
The Wall Street Journal had an article about the effect of menopause on a woman’s heart. Previous studies provided mixed evidence on the effect; some studies even suggested that it was actually heart disease that could push women to an earlier menopause. Now a study indicates that a woman’s LDL or bad cholesterol rises markedly during the year before and after menopause begins-the time period that coincides with a significant drop in levels of estrogen. “The data underscore the need to monitor LDL cholesterol levels as women approach the menopause transition,” says Kim Sutton-Tyrrell, an epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh and senior author of the study. The findings were published this month in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The study “helps to understand the role of a woman’s natural estrogen in protecting the heart and affecting risk factors for coronary disease,” states Dr. Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. She said the findings point out the importance of “knowing your numbers” when it comes to cholesterol and other heart-related risk factors as women enter menopause. Many women and their doctors don’t think to get a cholesterol check at that time of their lives, she added.
Dr. Manson also says that exercise is a fundamental strategy to respond to the impact of menopause on heart risk. “Physical activity is so key,” she says. “It will do a lot to avoid weight gain and build muscle mass, which helps boost the metabolic rate.” Reducing the amount of visceral fat-that which accumulates around the waistline-can help improve cholesterol levels.
The New York Times had a story titled, “Phys Ed: How Little Exercise Can You Get Away With?”. The story references a research study from Scotland that concluded that only 20 minutes a week of simple activities such as walking or even housecleaning could keep a Scot from feeling gloomy. It should be pointed out however that such a regimen certainly won’t do much for your cardiovascular fitness and is unlikely to lessen your risks for a multitude of diseases and, ultimately, of premature death, benefits that a greater amount of exercise may provide. It also won’t help much with weight loss.
So how much activity do you need? As reported in a previous Wellness Wednesday, the general recommendation is for 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity, with more benefits accruing if the activity is more intense or additional time is spent on the activity. However, there are limits on physical activity beyond which there may be no additional benefits, and could perhaps even be harmful.
The key, according to Frank Booth, a professor in the department of biomedical sciences at the University of Missouri at Columbia is to do something. “Inactivity is looking more and more like one of the underlying causes of many chronic diseases,” he says. If, he adds, “you want to live to be 100 then don’t just sit all day.”
The New Year certainly is a great time to get started on a fitness program, and I encourage all of you to do so. If you want some guidance from some of those “how to stick to your resolutions” stories, here are a few I found useful:
“How to Keep Those New Year’s Resolutions”
Realistic Resolutions From Dr. Oz
And as a final encouragement to get you started off on the right foot this year, I want to remind you that this Saturday, January 2, at our Newtown Square studio all of our sessions are free (existing clients only). There are just a few open slots remaining, so if you want to reserve a spot, please be sure to call 610-355-0935 as soon as possible.
Wishing you a healthy, happy New Year!
