health and fitness 2014

(BPT) — A new yearoften brings with it thedesire to make improve-ments in your life, andkick old habits to thecurb in the pursuit ofhealthiness. But formost Americans, reso-lutions fail within thefirst few months be-cause goals are too am-bitious, intimidating orunrealistic in nature. Ifyou've resolved to behealthier this year, thegood news is that suc-cessful, positive change— whether it be spend-ing more time withfriends and family,being more physicallyactive or choosing heal-thier foods — is moreachievable than youthink. It's important to

think positively, stayfocused, and take babysteps versus one giantleap toward a lofty goal.

Many goal-settersachieve their desiredhealth goal by startingwith small changes. Infact, more than half therespondents to the Aet-na "what's your heal-thy?" survey like to dosmall things such astaking the stairs in-stead of using the eleva-tor each day to be morephysically active.

The approach to heal-thiness is a personalone and is not a "onesize fits all" solution. Tohelp inspire you toachieve your healthgoals this year, AlisonSweeney, an actress,

author, television hostand mother of two,offers tips on simplechanges you can maketo your day-to-day life toensure happiness andhealthiness year-long:

• 100-calorie snacks. Ahandful of almonds,homemade ranch dipwith vegetables, or sixcups of fresh-poppedpopcorn are all greatlow-calorie options totake on the go.

• Run your first race.Here's a secret to get-ting started: run walks.Alternating betweenrunning and walkingquickly builds up yourendurance and confi-dence — a great way totrain and get fit. Startwith 20 minutes a day,three times a week.

• Strike a child's pose.Many people take yogaclasses to help themdecompress and get insome exercise. You canalso try it at home withthe kids. Deep breath-ing is the key. Try achild's pose, which is aresting pose in the fetalposition. The familygets to cool down to-gether.

• Eating clean. Whenyou're at the market,avoid the middle aisleswhere you'll find mostof the processed, pack-aged foods with artifi-cial ingredients. In-stead, shop the perime-ter of the store for freshfoods like seasonal pro-duce and lean meats.

• Get your exergameon. Exergaming (shortfor exercise gaming) isa great way to work outalone or with your kids.Grab the kids' gameconsole and get moving.

2014 HEALTH AND FITNESS2 FEBRUARY 23, 2014 The Daily News

Small changes can helpyou live healthier lifestyle

2014 HEALTH AND FITNESS FEBRUARY 23, 2014 3The Daily News

(BPT) — Fatigue.Dizziness. Irritability.Millions in the UnitedStates are experiencingthese symptoms, butfew know they may bethe signs of a conditioncalled iron deficiencyanemia. IDA is mostcommon among womenof childbearing age andin those with specialconditions, such aschronic kidney diseaseor gastrointestinal dis-orders that can causebleeding.

IDA can sap the ener-gy of even the mostenergetic individuals.Flora Migyanka, amother and fitness en-thusiast, learned first-hand the impact of thiscondition. "I couldn'tdrag myself out of bedand felt an overwhelm-

ing feeling of fatigue,"she says.

"I had labored breath-ing and horribleheadaches. I do a lot ofyoga and even the sim-plest poses caused meto become short ofbreath. I was alwayscold and just didn't feelright."

IDA occurs when

someone does not haveenough iron to producesufficient red bloodcells or makes red bloodcells that are too small.

There are many caus-es of IDA, but the mostcommon include: bloodloss, a lack of iron inthe diet or an inabilityto absorb iron.

While fatigue is the

most common symptomof IDA, many patientsalso experience othersymptoms, such asshortness of breath andan increased heart rate.Unfortunately, IDA isoften missed becausethese symptoms can beattributed to othercauses.

"Many times, healthcare professionals donot connect these com-mon symptoms to atreatable condition likeIDA," says RobinWachsman, an oncolo-gy nurse and nationallyrecognized IDA expertwho currently prac-tices at the West Clinicin Memphis, Tenn.

"Health care profes-sionals need to act asdetectives and find theunderlying causes of a

patient's suffering andpatients need to beforthcoming about howthey're feeling. This isespecially the case withIDA because, once diag-nosed, the conditioncan be managed."

But even after diagno-sis, some patients donot share lingeringsymptoms with theirhealth care provider. Itis important to remem-ber that there are manytreatment options forIDA, including diet andmedications. It maytake time for a healthcare professional toidentify the best way tomanage a patient's con-dition, so it is impor-tant for patients withIDA to keep theirhealth care providerinformed about how

they feel.The Iron Matters

campaign was recentlylaunched by AMAGPharmaceuticals Inc. tospread the word aboutIDA, its causes andsymptoms.

At IronMatters.com,visitors can get moreinformation about thecondition, read storiesof other IDA patientsand learn from experts.For those who havealready been diag-nosed, there are alsotips for living with IDA.

Anyone who suspectsthey may be sufferingfrom IDA should speakwith a health care pro-fessional.

Always consult with aphysician before takinga medication or supple-ment to treat IDA.

Are you getting enough iron to stay healthy?


(StatePoint) Duringcold and flu season, anounce of preventiongoes a long way. Butdespite best efforts, get-ting sick is sometimesunavoidable.

This year, Americanswill suffer from approx-imately one billioncolds, and as many asone in five will get theflu.

Many people turn toover-the-counter medi-cines for relief fromtheir cold and flu symp-toms. When illnessstrikes, treating yoursymptoms safely andresponsibly is just asimportant as relief.

During this cold andflu season, McNeil Con-sumer Healthcare iseducating consumersabout the safe and ap-propriate use of medi-cines through its educa-tional initiative “GetRelief Responsibly.”

Many cold and flumedicines contain acet-aminophen, a commonpain reliever used toprovide relief fromtheir cold and flu symp-toms such as fever, sorethroat and body pains.

Acetaminophen is theactive ingredient inTylenol, but it can alsobe found in more than600 OTC and prescrip-tion medications suchas NyQuil, Theraflu,Percocet and Vicodin.

If you take multiplemedicines at a time totreat various symp-toms, it is important tobe aware of the ingredi-ents and to follow labelsto prevent accidentallytaking more than therecommended dose.

“Acetaminophen issafe when used as dir-ected, but taking toomuch can harm yourliver,” says Edwin Kuff-ner, M.D., Vice Presi-dent of Medical Affairsat McNeil ConsumerHealthcare. “Some peo-ple may accidentallytake more than the totaldaily dose of acetamin-ophen because they donot realize they are tak-ing multiple productscontaining acetamino-phen, or because theymay not read and followthe label.”

This cold and flu sea-son, get relief responsi-bly with these tips fromMcNeil ConsumerHealthcare:

• Always read and fol-low your medicine lab-els carefully. If you’retaking more than onemedicine, read andcompare the labels.

• Never take morethan one medicine thatcontains the same ac-tive ingredient at thesame time.

• Never take morethan the recommendeddose, unless directed byyour doctor. And don’ttake any medicine forlonger than directed. If

you're not getting effec-tive relief, contact yourdoctor.

• Inform your doctorand pharmacist of yourmedical history andwhat medications youtake. This will helpyour healthcare teamensure you're takingmedicines that are ap-propriate for you.

• If you suspect anoverdose, even if youdon’t have any symp-toms, get medical helpor contact a Poison Con-trol Center right awayat 1-800-222-1222.

• Learn more. Visitthe website www.GetRe-liefResponsibly.com fortools and resourcesabout how to take medi-cines safely -- includingan interactive medicinechecker to find outwhich of you medicinescontain acetamino-phen, tips on how toread medicine labelsand steps to keep medi-cines safely out of thereach of children.

During cold and fluseason, do yourself afavor. When seekingrelief, first learn aboutthe medications you’retaking and be sure totake them responsibly.

What every cold and flusufferer needs to know


(BPT) - Resolutiontime doesn’t have tomean the beginning ofbroken promises.

It should not be a sur-prise that fitness goalsare among the top NewYear's resolution formen.

Gyms are flowingwith new members inthe beginning of theyear, but within a fewweeks many men willreturn to their seden-tary lifestyle.

One reason that peo-ple abandon their fit-ness routine is thatworking out at the gymcan be irritating.

Fitness and motiva-tional lifestyle expert,Dai Manuel, offersthese tips to help peoplestay on track towardtheir fitness goals.

• Be realistic. Manuelencourages men tothink about their endgoals and design a fit-

ness routine that allowsfor reasonable progressover time and fits theirunique lifestyle.

"If you have not runin a few years, startslowly and do not try torun a 10k your firstmonth," Manuel ex-plains.

"It is also importantthat your new fitnessregimen fits withinyour already busy life-style. You cannot expectto work out five days aweek, while still balanc-ing career, family andfriends. You will likelyfall short, making fit-ness a source of irrita-tion, not fulfillment."

• Win the small bat-tles. Once you have anattainable fitness planin place, you need toremove any of the littleirritations or distrac-tions that stand in yourway.

For example, set the

timer on your coffeemaker so there is noexcuse not to get up forthe early morningworkout and upgrade togear with comfortablefabric and a proper fit.Even try switching upyour personal groom-ing gear.

• Conquer irritatingMondays. Manuel alsounderstands that Mon-day can be the hardestday to get back to thegym.

Weekends are a greattime for relaxing orsocializing, but canthrow you off your reg-ular routine and makegoing to the gym Mon-day more irritating.

"Monday is your op-portunity to kick offthe week right," saysManuel. "If you jumpinto your workout with-out any hesitation itwill set the tone for therest of your week."

Tips to help you stay ontrack with fitness goals


It happens every day.You have a headache oranother ailment and goto the medicine cabinetto find relief. Aftershaking a few pills outof the bottle, you hap-pen to glance at theexpiration datestamped on the side andrealize those pain-reliefpills have expired. Youwonder if you will getsick if you swallowthem or if you can getaway with it this time.

Who isn't trying tostretch a dollar a littlefurther these days? Andwith prescription drugcosts rising and somecompanies cutting backon health insurancecoverage, there arethousands of peoplewho may be betweenplans and cannot affordto continually restocktheir medicine cabinetswith new drugs. Is itsafe to take that anti-anxiety medicationeven if its expirationdate has come andgone? Will those acidreducers make youeven more sick? Theseare viable questions.

For the most part,medical experts saythat expired drugs arereasonably safe to take.According to informa-tion published in Phar-macology Today, theexpiration date stamp-ed on over-the-countermedication is a date atwhich the drug manu-facturer can still guar-antee full potency ofthe drug. The expira-tion date on your pre-scription medicine bot-tle may be the date thatthe prescription -- notthe medicine -- expires,generally a year after

the medication wasfilled. A law was passedin 1979 that requireddrug manufacturers toissue the expirationdate as a means to giv-ing consumers whatthey paid for, and likelyto avoid litigation overdrugs that are no

longer effective.Medical authorities

state that the majorityof expired drugs aresafe to take — evenmedications that ex-pired years ago. How-ever, their potency maybe reduced. Liquidmedications, such asoral antibiotics, maylose their potency fas-ter than pills. Tetracy-cline, a broad-spectrumantibiotic, is one thatcauses some controver-sy regarding safetyafter expiration. So it'sbest to discard tetracy-cline pills once theyhave expired. Otherssay that nitroglycerineand hydrocodone (Vico-din) may present somedangers after expira-tion, but this has notbeen proven in any

large-scale study.If you need some

more reassurance thatthose expired pills arefine to take, consider astudy conducted by theU.S. Food and DrugAdministration at therequest of the U.S. mili-tary.

The military was con-sidering disposing ofand replacing its drugstore every few yearsbecause of expirationdates, which wouldhave come at a consid-erable cost. After alengthy analysis, theFDA determined that 90percent of the morethan 100 drugs theytested — both prescrip-tion and OTC — werestill potent even 15years after the expira-tion date.

That doesn't mean itis always safe or effec-tive to take an expiredpill, especially if youare self-diagnosing amedical condition andsubsequently self-med-icating. Medicationsshould always be usedunder the guidance of adoctor who can monitordosing and progress.Also, medicationsshould never be sharedamong different mem-bers of the family forwhom they were notprescribed.

Individuals whostockpile medicationsalso run the risk ofsome other dangers.There's the chance ofgrabbing the wrongbottle and taking amedication that is notneeded, a problem com-

mon with the elderlythat can result in ill-ness.

With narcotic andprescription drugabuse a rising epidemicamong young people,having a cabinet full ofdrugs could provetempting to adolescentsthinking about gettinghigh from drugs readilyavailable in their ownhomes.

The best advice re-garding expired drugsis when in doubt, throwthem out.

But if you've justswallowed some ex-pired ibuprofen and areworried about sideeffects, chances arethere is nothing toworry about.

Is medicine still good past the expiration date?


During February, theAmerican Heart Asso-ciation wants people to“Go Red for Women” bywearing red to raiseawareness of heart dis-ease. The campaign is acall for women to takecharge of their hearthealth.

Cardiovascular dis-eases claim more wo-men's lives than thenext seven causes ofdeath combined.

American Heart As-sociation data revealthat:

• Heart disease andstroke are the No. 1 andNo. 3 killers of Amer-ican women over age25.

• Heart attack, strokeand other cardiovascu-lar diseases kill morethan 500,000 women

each year – about onedeath a minute.

• One in 29 womendies of breast cancer.About 1 in 2.4 womendies of heart disease,stroke and other cardio-vascular diseases.

• One in 5 women hassome form of cardio-vascular disease.

• Sixty-three percentof women who dieunexpectedly of heartdisease have no previ-ous symptoms.

• Black and Hispanicwomen have higherrisk factors than whitewomen of comparablesocioeconomic status.

The campaign hasthree basic health mes-sages.

First, know your riskfactors for heart dis-ease and stroke. These

include:• High blood pressure.• High blood choles-

terol.• Diabetes.• Smoking.• Being overweight.• Being physically in-

active.• Having a family his-

tory of early heart dis-eases.

• Being 55 years old orolder.

Second, reduce yourrisk.

• Maintain a desirableweight. Keep body massindex (BMI) below 25and waistline less than35 inches.

• Exercise for at least30 minutes on mostdays of the week.

• Don’t smoke; if youdo, stop.

• Eat a balanced diet(fruits, vegetables, cere-al and grain products,fat-free and low-fatdairy products, leg-umes, nuts, fish, poul-try and lean meat).

• Maintain a total cho-lesterol level under 200and an HDL level of 50or higher.

• Control your bloodpressure. Try to keep itbelow 120/80.

• Schedule regularvisits with your doctor.

Third, know thewarning signs of heartattack. Call 911 immedi-ately if you experience:

• Discomfort in thecenter of the chest thatlasts more than a fewminutes or goes awayand comes back. It canfeel like uncomfortable

pressure, squeezing,fullness or pain.

• Pain or discomfortin other areas of theupper body: one or botharms, the back, neck,jaw or stomach.

• Shortness of breath:often comes along withchest discomfort, but itcan occur before thediscomfort.

Other signs mayinclude breaking out ina cold sweat, nausea orlightheadedness.

If you’re overweight,try to reach a healthyweight, and stay there.To lose weight, mostwomen should eat 1,200to 1,500 calories a day,but not less than 1,200.Losing one to twopounds or less per weekis considered a healthyweight loss.

Many overweight andobese women have diffi-culty losing weight andkeeping it off. It'simportant to rememberthat even modestweight loss (5-10 per-cent of body weight)can help lower yourheart disease risk.

Although you may beeating plenty of food,your body make not begetting the nutrients itneeds to be healthy.Make smart choices toget the nutrients youneed.

Choose nutrient-richfoods like vegetables,fruits, whole-grainproducts and fat-free orlow-fat dairy productsmost often. Nutrient-rich foods have vita-mins minerals, fiberand other nutrients.

February is heart month, so keep it healthy


(StatePoint)— Overeatingis all too easy. But there’smore at play when it comesto packing on pounds.Another factor you may noteven be aware of is stress.

Here are some importantthings to know about yourbody’s response to stress:

Stress Hormones

We all have a built-in stressresponse. It’s a complicatedset of physiological reac-tions that help keep you aliveduring dangerous situations.Here’s how it’s supposed towork:

You experience an acutestressor. Thousands of yearsago, this could have been atiger trying to eat you. Today,it could be the in-laws com-ing to stay with you. Inresponse, adrenal glands

release the stress hormonecortisol into your blood-stream, initiating anincrease in blood sugar usedfor immediate energy tofight, run or slam on yourcar brakes.

Once the stressor is dealtwith, the cortisol leaves yoursystem and things return totheir normal metabolic state.But unfortunately today,many of us are constantlystressed, causing significantmetabolic imbalances.

Chronic Stress

From when we wake up towhen we go to bed, the aver-age person deals with hun-dreds of low-grade stressfulevents, like rush hour traffic,projects with impossibledeadlines, troubles withkids, spouses or pets.

According to Michael A.Smith, M.D. host of “HealthyTalk” on RadioMD.com andsenior health scientist withthe Life ExtensionFoundation in FortLauderdale, Fla., this state ofaffairs is chronically elevat-ing cortisol levels, whichmeans blood sugar is con-stantly being mobilized forenergy.

“And when you don’t burnthe sugar, it gets stored asbody fat,” says Dr. Smith.“This is just one of the meta-bolic imbalances caused bytoo much cortisol. There aremany other problems causedby chronic stress that canpack on the fat.”

For example, too much cor-tisol, which results in a dropin serotonin, can drive sugarcravings and significantlyincrease appetite.

Solutions

New research shows thatwhite kidney beans can sup-press appetite.

So if you’re craving asnack, have a serving of kid-ney beans instead of reach-ing for last night’s pizza or abag of potato chips.

Feeling tense? Try some stress reduction

activities, like jogging, medi-tation or breathing exercis-es.

Also, consider adaptogenicherbs, which have long beenused for their mood balanc-ing and stress reducingeffects.

For example, a number ofclinical trials demonstratethat repeated administrationof rhodiola extract exertsenergizing effects thatincrease mental focus.

Did you know that stress can make you fat?

health and fitness 2014

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