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By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Somewhere lost in all the messaging about healthy living is the one about effort level. You know, how much effort it takes to make and sustain a health-promoting change. Many people view healthy, fit people as somehow just magically turning out that way. Must be good genes, or good luck – or some combination of the two – is a popular theme. But while we see the “end product” of a healthy person, what is less known is the consistent effort that goes into maintaining health. Mindful eating, focus on physical activity, and effective stress management are all a daily part of the routine. This whole concept came to me the other day in reading an honest insight from the Pulitzer-prize winning author Anna Quindlen. She wrote about how difficult and challenging writing is for her, what an effort it is to just sit down and write. While people might have an image of writers as having words and ideas just flowing out easily (this is a “job”?), this is not the case, as thi...

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Many of us thought about ways to “go green” this past Sunday, April 22 – Earth Day. And while it’s great to make that one day a focus of a healthier planet, I’d like to suggest we all continue our activities on a daily basis – and make this one-day event the start of regular and consistent Earth-friendly habits. Here are a few of my favorite – and very easy – ways to be save energy every day, and be gentler to our environment:  Be careful what you recycle : Every packing material and container is not recyclable just because it has a number inside a triangle visible on the bottom! Those numbers have meaning about the ease of recycling. One of the biggest culprits is styrofoam, which is not typically accepted as a recyclable item in most facilities. If you dump it anyway, it must be removed from the acceptable items – a bigger waste of energy. Check with your neighborhood waste management service, or go online for a list of hard-to-recycle items and find out ...

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom I’m not sure when this change first occurred, but we’ve gone from a nation of structured “three square meals a day” to grazing all day with small, frequent meals. We do this all in the name of good health and weight control. Does this idea of “fueling” throughout the day really work? Not for most people!  While it is well-documented that skipping meals leads to overeating later in the day, eating more often doesn’t really help to control calorie intake any better than eating three meals a day. In fact, eating less often can help cut calories.  The more often you eat, the more likely you are to consume extra calories. And extra calories, healthy or not, contribute to extra weight. It’s also harder to keep track of daily calories when you eat more often — your six smaller meals can easily become six bigger meals. When you eat three times a day (meals and a small snack if you prefer), you support the regulation of true hunger and fullness. With four to fi...

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom That headline is constantly in the news – and many of us think it’s a new one, based on “recent scientific studies.” But did you know that nearly 50 years ago, a public health pioneer documented this “new” finding? Dr. Lester Breslow, who recently died at age 97, provided mathematical proof that certain healthy habits were connected to a longer life. This shook the public health world, since it confirmed that behavior could most definitely influence longevity. It’s not just a question of biology or “luck.” Nowadays, with all of the fine-tuning of health messaging, maybe it’s time to get back to the basics as the foundation of healthy living. Here are the recommendations of Dr. Breslow, from the 1960s: Don’t smoke. Drink in moderation. Sleep 7 to 8 hours nightly. Exercise moderately. Eat breakfast. Eat regular meals. Maintain a moderate weight. Sound familiar? And you’ll note the word “moderate” repeated. Maybe it’s time to avoid the health extremes – of having...

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom These four words resonate with everyone – but how easy is this to do?  Michael J. Fox , the gifted TV and film actor, has a wonderful attitude about managing worry that I’d like to share with you. You might know that he has lived with Parkinson’s disease for nearly 20 years. And when it comes to managing a chronic illness, the “worry factor” is part of daily life. When asked about his concerns about his future physical health, his response provided me with a burst of clarity in “worry management.” He said that it doesn’t pay to worry and explained why. If you worry about something and it finally occurs, then you’re worrying twice about the same thing. And for him, once is enough.   So cast your worries aside, and keep a smile on your face. Start by looking at your day and listing the positives instead of what went wrong. Learn to be a glass-half-full person – not a half-empty one. Think about what put a smile of your face during the day. But if yo...

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Are you among the millions of people who have no time to exercise? It’s the number one reason cited for not moving more.  We all have good intentions, but when time is short, try these tips to maintain an active day – and to stay connected to a healthy lifestyle. Some activity is always better than none! Try a brisk 5 minute walk 4-5 times a day. Focus on good posture at your desk to strengthen your body core. Take a break every hour to stand up and stretch; try to touch your toes . Sit on an exercise ball (or exercise cushion) instead of your chair at home or at work. Schedule a “walking meeting” when you can. These are all “learned” habits….and it takes about 3 weeks to make a habit stick. I did this myself – and while the first week was tough, it became easier with time. These tips are also easy to maintain. What other tips can you share with us, to move more when there’s no time to exercise? 

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom With a big holiday weekend coming up – spanning both Easter and Passover – many of us are anticipating family time that includes all kinds of special holiday foods.  I think it’s time we all started to look forward to holiday eating with a sense of controlled indulgence, rather than the “it’s a holiday so calories don’t count” point of view. It’s important, because holiday eating occurs much more often than we think – and we have very short memories when it comes to food! When you tally up major holidays, family birthdays, sports events, weddings, and more, it’s not just an occasional splurge we’re talking about. There’s just one recommendation I have (and use myself!) to be a smart, guilt-free indulger for all holidays. THINK before you eat. This doesn’t mean don’t eat – it means make a better choice. Ask yourself if a certain food is worth the splurge or simply eaten because “it’s there.” For buffets, take a minute to scan the whole table, and focus on yo...

By Carolyn Simitz Walking around your office with bags of ice strapped to your shins? Talking PRs and negative splits with your 8-year-old? Sleeping on the couch because your spouse can’t stomach another 4:30 a.m. run? Stop! You may need a training intervention! Many new runners, training for an upcoming race, stumble into one of these common pitfalls – doing too much too soon, over-training, or allowing running to take over their life. Training for a race should be fun. It shouldn’t be painful, lead to nights soaking in an ice bath, or put a strain on your relationship. To ensure that you reach race day with a smile on your face and a spring in your step, follow these three basic principles. 1.    Build a general base of fitness before setting a training goal. It’s not uncommon for someone who has put running on the back burner for several months (or years) to hear about a race, get excited, and jump right back into training. Unfortunately, they forget that their body an...