Date: Fri 17-Oct-1997

Publication: Hea

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

lifestyle-health-vitamins

Full Text:

Small Lifestyle Changes Can Reap Big Rewards

(with photo)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

A few simple lifestyle changes may be all that is needed in order to start you

on the road to a happier, healthier existence.

Of course, there is no quick fix, but Danbury Hospital cardiologist Harvey

Kramer tells his patients that a small commitment to improved health is still

better than none at all. "Especially in terms of prevention. It's surprising

how much of a difference a small change can make. It can be very powerful," he

said.

Like New Year's resolutions, Dr Kramer said, people often set unrealistic

goals for themselves.

"Don't set yourself up to fail with goals that are so lofty. Most people

eventually fall off the good-habit wagon. You have to be realistic," he

explained.

If you smoke, one less cigarette per day is better than what you are currently

smoking.

According to this month's Annals of Internal Medicine report, only 22 percent

of American adults are currently active enough to derive health benefits from

their physical activity, 53 percent are only marginally active, and 25 percent

are completely sedentary.

The American Heart Association recently added "sedentary lifestyle" to its

list of controllable risk factors.

The medical industry as a whole has taken a new view on physical activity.

According to the American Heart Association, physical activity need not be

strenuous in order for people to achieve health benefits. Doctors used to

think that if people didn't do the recommended amount of exercise then it

wasn't worth it to do any at all. But, according to Dr Kramer, they have since

found that some is better than none. Now, doctors say you can "accumulate"

your exercise over the course of the day, rather than having to set aside 30

minutes or an hour.

Doctors believe an active lifestyle does not require patients to follow a

formal, uninterrupted, vigorous exercise program. Physicians are encouraging

sedentary patients to accumulate 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity

over the course of the day.

"Instead of taking the elevator every day, why not walk. It all adds up in the

end," Dr Kramer explained. Walk instead of driving short distances or use

fewer labor-saving devices. This could burn as many as 150 calories per day.

As doctors point out, many people can readily insert shorter bouts of

lifestyle activity into busy schedules.

If you don't get a chance to exercise one day, do it the next.

Losing Weight

What about the diet pills or these quick-fix programs promising to help you

lose ten pounds in a week?

"If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is, particularly when it

comes to your health," explained Dr Kramer, a member of Governor John

Rowland's Committee on Physical Fitness. "The problem is it's a short-term

program, and it can be dangerous. The word diet is a four letter word. What

people need is a new eating plan for life."

The American Heart Association recommends avoiding foods like egg yolks, fatty

meats, skin-on chicken, butter and cream. It suggests cutting down on

saturated fat, sugar and salt and substituting skim or low-fat milk for whole

milk. You should bake, broil, roast and boil - don't fry foods.

Eat fruit, vegetables, cereals, pasta, fish, skinless poultry and lean meats.

Cut down on alcohol.

Dr Kramer advises people to avoid spending big bucks on exercise equipment

unless they are committed to using it on a regular basis.

"People tell me they just bought an expensive exercise machine, and I usually

ask them, `Do you dust it once in a while?,'" he said.

Take Your Daily Vitamins

More and more these days, doctors are recommending that people supplement

their diet with vitamins - not instead of habit changes, but in addition to

them. Antioxidant vitamins like C and E, when consumed regularly, can help in

the prevention of cardiovascular disease, and may prevent the progression of

coronary heart disease or stroke.