Meredith Cummings: Taking shots and impatiently waiting for my test results. 2D
HealthToday
T H U R S D A Y , M A R C H 8, 2007
SECTION D
WWW.TUSCALOOSANEWS.COM
NUTRITION
CHILDREN
Keep exercise short, creative Avoid the word “exercise.” Instead, just look for ways to be physically active. “It doesn’t have to be formal or use specialized equipment,” said Debi Pillarella, youth fitness spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. Go for a walk together after dinner, for example. ■ Let children pick the activity. It’s fun to introduce kids to your
Boring Meeting Hand Stretch
Place your hands under your buttocks and slowly straighten your elbows for 15 to 20 seconds. Repeat three to four times.
EXERCISE Daily chores can help keep you in shape
Garbage Drop
Stand as far away from the can as possible and slowly lower the garbage while standing on one leg.
E Briefcase Lift
Slowly lift the object in front of you, to your side, behind you and across your body.
Goodbye Kiss
Lean over to kiss loved one while standing on one leg. Increase intensity by standing further apart and leaning forward.
TIP DRUG DISPOSAL Stair Stretch
mil Di Motta doesn’t mind being called a couch potato. In fact, he jokes his middle name should be “Idaho,” as in the state known for its spud production. To be precise, he is more of a chair potato. When he’s not planted in front of a computer screen at the medicalsupply business he operates with his sons, he is likely to be in the same position at his home in Lakeland, Fla. “I spend too much time sitting at the computer,” he said. “I do occasionally play golf, but I do not exercise like some people go out on walks for miles and some people go to the gym. I walk to the car.” Di Motta, 67, is typical of many people who want to be more fit but lack the time, energy or inclination to embrace the biceps-building or rump-reducing workouts found in fitness magazines and geared toward the relatively young and well conditioned. But Dr. Joel M. Press, a rehabilitation specialist in Chicago, said Americans mistakenly take an all-ornothing approach to exercise, segregating themselves into those who do and those who don’t. He suggests too many people narrowly associate training with trips to the gym or jogs around the park. For years, Press and his staff at the Spine and Sports Institute at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago have encouraged patients to find the exercise value in everyday activities. Press collected these home-based calisthenics into a book, “The Couch Potato Workout: 101 Exercises You SEE EXERCISE | 6D
Put your left foot on a step and bend the left knee as much as possible. Meanwhile, extend your right leg as far back as you can. Keep both feet flat. Switch sides.
Remote Wrist Lifts
While sitting watching TV, point the remote at the ceiling moving only your wrist. Hold there 10 seconds, then point the remote to the floor, only moving the wrist. Repeat three to four times during every commercial.
Dishes Squat
Stand on one leg and squat, bending your knees slightly.
Dishes Neck Circles
Reading the paper
Instead of using eye muscles to read, slowly move your neck from side to side, keeping your eyes straight.
While standing at the sink slowly rotate your neck clockwise extending the top of your head as far as possible. After three rotations, repeat in a counter-clockwise motion.
Eat more fruit and spinach
Since March is National Nutrition Month, we’re providing a few tips each week from the American Dietetic Association to help you get on the path of eating right. ■ Use spinach instead of lettuce on sandwiches. ■ Eat fresh, canned or frozen fruits for a sweet dessert. ■ Treat your family to fruit kebabs: Thread pieces of pear, apple, melon and pineapple on skewers and serve for dessert. ■ For a quick healthy dessert, slice an apple, sprinkle the slices with cinnamon, and microwave for about 50 seconds. ■ Try drizzling olive oil and red wine vinegar on a salad instead of a full-fat salad dressing. — Cox News Service
MENTAL HEALTH
‘Checkup’ for marriage health
By Gar y White
NYT Regional Media Group
— Sarah Bruyn Jones
— The Office of National Drug Control Policy
— The Seattle Times
ROUTINE
Free nicotine patches offered
The federal guidelines for disposal of unused prescription drugs have been revised. The new rules are: ■ Remove unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs from their original containers and throw them away. ■ Mix prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put them in impermeable, nondescript container, such as empty cans or sealable bags. ■ Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the label or accompanying patient information says to do so. ■ Take advantage of community pharmaceutical take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal.
■ Play backyard games. Go lowtech and play tag, capture the flag or kickball. ■ Keep a ball or disc in the trunk. Pull them out at the park for active fun. ■ Be creative. Young children enjoy using their imaginations along with their muscles. Suggest they run like a tiger or jump like a kangaroo. ■ Encourage, don’t pressure. Enticing children with fun activities works better than shaming them about being overweight or out of shape.
FITNESS
ADDICTION
Smokers trying to quit can get a free four-week supply of nicotine patches from the Alabama Department of Public Health. Through its Quitline program, the department previously was supplying smokers with two weeks of patches. “We are really excited to offer this opportunity because research has found that any time you offer [nicotine replacement therapy] you can expect to have higher quit rates,” said Diane Beeson, director of tobacco prevention control division for ADPH. With $2.1 million allotted for tobacco prevention, Alabama ranks 46th in per-capita funding for state programs in the nation. Of that, $150,000 is for the patches. On the flipside, an estimated $1.5 billion is spent annually in Alabama to treat smoking-related health issues. The Alabama Quitline was established in April 2005 and began offering free nicotine patches about a year later. The success rate for someone quitting tobacco during a 30-day period is 12 to 18 percent. With nicotine therapy, the success rate jumps to 24 to 36 percent. To qualify for the patches, smokers must meet guidelines and agree to regular counseling. Participants will be encouraged to save money they would spend on cigarettes or chewing tobacco to purchase additional patches or other pharmacotherapy. The average tobacco user needs nicotine replacement therapy for eight to 12 weeks. With one in four Alabamians using tobacco, Beeson said the supply could run out, noting that Alabama has one of the highest call volumes in the country for a state-run quitline. “It is definitely first come first serve,” Beeson said. “So hurry up before they’re gone.” Call 800-784-8669.
favorite sports, but let them choose sometimes, too. They’ll get a kick out of seeing their parents learn something new. ■ Keep it short. Plan several activities rather than one long sustained exercise time. ■ Give children time to rest. They don’t know how to pace themselves as well as adults. ■ Find outings that encourage conversation. One-on-one time with mom and dad can make biking or hiking fun for children. ■ Look for group activities. Socializing with friends helps engage kids.
Pillow Head Rise
Laying face down, slowly raise your head without extending your neck backward. Hold for five to 10 seconds. Repeat three to four times. STAFF ILLUSTRATION | ANTHONY BRATINA
Our teeth, eyes and bodies get prodded and tested annually as a way to catch problems early. What if you added a “Marriage Checkup” to our list of annual exams? That’s the idea behind a pilot program at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., designed to make marriage assessments as routine as getting your teeth cleaned, in an attempt to help couples keep their marriage sparkling before trouble spots fester into serious woes. “You go to a dentist and he might say, ‘Floss more.’ A doctor might say, ‘Exercise more,”‘ said James Cordova, associate professor of psychology at Clark University and designer of the Marriage Checkup. “And you can go home and do this yourself. The same goes for much of the findings in the Marriage Checkup.” Unlike traditional couples therapy, a Marriage Checkup doesn’t involve a couch, months of emotional digging or even a psychologist in many cases. It’s a quick program — a questionnaire, two meetings and feedback session — that can be led by clergy, a social worker or a marriage counselor. In many ways, the Marriage Checkup signifies a shift in putting greater emphasis on healthy marriages instead of just salvaging those in crisis. Many marriage counselors and educators now believe couples don’t need to go to therapy to work out their problems, especially if detected early. And they believe couples can easily learn tips to help them stay close. Cordova believes a couple can often work on their weak areas by themselves if they get help identifying them. While the Marriage Checkup looks at common sticking points among couples — finance, sex, housework, in-laws — it also zooms in on communication and connectedness. — Cox News Service