The Record Special Sections Health Quarterly 04-26-2020 | Page 10

10 ❚ SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2020 ❚ THE RECORD
HEALTH QUARTERLY / ADVERTISING SECTION
HOLY NAME MEDICAL CENTER
Stay Fit
While Staying Put
This exercise fills your lungs to the
maximum capacity, filling them with oxygen,
which then helps rid the lungs of carbon
dioxide, a waste that needs to be eliminated
from the body.
n Standing Heel-Toe Raises: While
you’re standing or sitting, raise your leg up
on your toes and then slowly lower it. Next,
raise your toes toward the ceiling, slowly
lower them.
Swelling occurs when blood gets trapped
in the lower legs because gravity pulls
fluid into the calves, feet and ankles. This
exercise contracts the muscles in the lower
legs, which pushes blood back up into the
body and helps with circulation.
n Doorway Stretch: Place your hands/
forearms along
a door frame. Take
a step through the
doorway, lean for-
ward onto your front
foot until you feel a
gentle stretch along
the front of your
shoulders/chest.
This movement
puts your body in
a better position to
breathe and stretches
your chest and
shoulder muscles, expanding your rib cage
so uou can breathe more efficiently.
n Standing Hip Abduction: Standing
straight, slowly raise one leg out toward
the side without leaning or moving your
upper body.
This works your glute and hip muscles,
which are necessary to help you walk and
go up and down stairs.
n Sit to Stand:
Standing in front of
a firm chair, slowly
sit and then stand,
without using ex-
cessive movement.
Use hands if needed.
This is the one
of the best ways to
work the biggest
and most important
muscles in your
legs. Being able to
stand from a sitting
position is vital — you need to be able
to get up from a chair, the toilet, your bed.
W
hether you’re staying home
because of a pandemic or just
trying to keep healthy when
your activity is restricted for
any reason, know that there are a num-
ber of things you can do to improve your
overall well-being.
Each day, do exercises
that strengthen your
muscles and help you
remain flexible while
making sure to eat
a well-balanced diet.
Often, the trick
to staying in shape and eating well is to
make approaches to both a part of your
daily activities. If you can’t or don’t want
to carve out 30 minutes to exercise, do the
stretches and movements outlined below
between other tasks. For example, while
waiting for a meal to cook on the stove, do
the heel and toe rises. Keep in mind, every
little bit helps.
Most importantly, try to walk as much
as possible. Walking is good for your cardio
health as well as a number of other impor-
tant organ functions.
“Remember that our bodies and vital
organs perform much more efficiently
when we exercise daily,” said Christopher
Cordero, PT, DPT, OCS, a board-certified
clinical specialist and orthopedic physical
therapist at Holy Name Medical Center.
“One of the best benefits of exercise
is that it prevents and clears blood vessels
of plaque buildup, which is good not only
for your heart but for all your organs.”
Here is a list of simple exercises and the
benefits they provide:
n Diaphragmatic Breathing for Lung
Health: Place one
hand over the
middle of your
chest and another
over your stomach.
Breathe in through
your nose —
you should only
feel the hand on
your stomach rise.
Blow out through
your mouth as if
you want to make
a candle flicker
(not extinguish) that is six inches
from your face.
Sheltering in place can trigger poor eating habits according to nutritionist Debbie
Bessen, of Holy Name Medical Center. She offers several healthy eating tips to avoid
overeating and behavior advice to replace eating activities.
n Walking: It is not only good for your
leg muscles, it boosts your immune system,
enhances your cardiovascular and pulmo-
nary performance, lowers blood sugar and
promotes fat-loss.
“Exercising and movement are neces-
sary to keep your body in optimal condition
and to prepare it in case you suffer an injury
or become ill,” Cordero said. “This way
your body will be more efficient at healing
after you get sick or injured.”
For more information on these exer-
cises, including recommended repetitions,
go to https://www.holyname.org/News/
blog-details.aspx?ID=73.
EAT HEALTHY
AND AVOID OVEREATING
When your activities are curbed and
you’re home a good deal of the time, it’s
so easy to reach for your favorite foods
or snacks. You may be anxious, bored or
depressed and eating a sleeve of cookies
just seems like a good way to feel better.
It’s not.
“When you’re limited to being home,
try to connect virtually with people and try
to observe nature in whatever setting you
can,” said Debbie Bessen, MS, RD, CSO,
CLT, director of Clinical Nutrition at Holy
Name. “Get some fresh air daily, or just
look outside and enjoy vegetation and ani-
mals you may not have noticed before. Use
this time to explore things that you haven’t
had time to do.”
There are ways to structure your life so
uncontrollable eating isn’t so easy.
Try some of these helpful hints.
n Create a meal schedule and try to eat
your meals around the same time every day.
n Plan what you’re going to eat at each
meal. This will help avoid substituting
unhealthy choices.
n Don’t skip meals, which can lead to
hunger and trigger consumption of high-
calorie, high-carbohydrate foods.
n Never eat from a bag or container —
take your portion and put the bag away,
out of sight.
n Avoid putting snack foods out — make
it harder to find less healthy foods. Instead,
leave an easily-accessible bowl of fruit and
vegetables on the counter.
n Replace eating activities with other
habits. Create a list of things to do such
as reading a book, calling a friend, playing
a game on your phone, jumping rope or
knitting, when you feel like eating.
n Mindfulness — when you start to think
about eating, meditate or remind yourself
that stress-eating gives you pleasure for
the moment only.
n Cook — make meals high in non-
starchy vegetables, whole grains and lean
meats.
n Connect with people and nature,
which will help keep you busy and socially
healthy.
For more information on eating a
healthy diet, go to https://www.holyname.
org/News/blog-details.aspx?ID=64.