If you were athletic before your pregnancy, you can continue your “normal” workouts, as long as you use common sense. For women who were not particularly active before becoming pregnant, it is a great time to begin some gentle, easy workouts. Engaging in some form of prenatal exercise has important benefits: less weight gain during […]
How much exercise is enough? There is no one answer. Age, sex and current fitness level, along with risk factors such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and excessive weight, must be factored into the equation. All of these considerations may make it impractical to compare various fitness programs. But he following guidelines can help you […]
The simplest exercise available is placing one foot in front of the other and walking. Because this is something we do every day, it is often overlooked as a valuable tool for weight loss. A 140-pound person walking at a moderate pace for 20 minutes will burn approximately 92 calories while increasing heart rate, thus […]
It is a glorious Saturday morning; you have put the stress of work behind you. All week long, you have been looking forward to playing golf. But when one of your foursome suggests walking the course, you suddenly become a little nervous. Yet riding in a golf cart robs you of much of the health […]
Most of us have heard about the dangers of osteoporosis, an age related condition that results in weakened, easily broken bones. But as we age, we don’t think much about losing muscle strength. Sarcopenia , the medical term for muscle loss, develops gradually. It begins around age 35, but at first the loss is slow— […]
Flu season is in full swing, and along with the regular flu, the new H1N1 virus is infecting thousands of people. Influenza can be a serious illness. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, body aches, sore throat , runny nose, dry cough and a general feeling of exhaustion and sickness . While the fever usually lasts […]
Cold winds are starting to blow, and temperatures are plummeting. If you are not a lover of brisk weather, think abou t taking your fitness routine indoors . And if you do not have a regular exercise program, now is the time to let us help you get started on fitness activities you can perform […]
Avoiding asthma attacks while exercising in winter is best accomplished by preventing cold, dry air from getting into your bronchial airways. One way to do this is to exercise indoors when it is cold. Swimming in an indoor heated pool, where the air is comfortably warm but not overly humid, is an option that works […]
Although some over-the-counter nutritional supplements have been advertised as capable of rebuilding cartilage in arthritic joints, the claims most often do not stand up under scientific scrutiny. To protect damaged cartilage, the most important things you can do are strengthen the muscles that support the joints in your body affected by osteoarthritis and make them […]
After the common cold, lower back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor. Although lower back pain is easy to recognize, its causes are many, varied and often unclear. Thus, one of the greatest challenges facing physical therapists is to match the suspected cause of the pain with the best […]