Healthcare in the News

Getting Fit in 2003

Advice on how to follow through on your New Year's exercise resolution

< December 31, 2002 > Here we are again. That time of year when just about everybody makes yet another New Year's resolution to include more exercise in their daily routine.Picture of a family walking down the beach

If you are finally sincere about it, the International Council on Active Aging wants to help you. The council offers tips specifically aimed at helping older adults get physically active and stay that way:

  • Get a medical checkup before you start any exercise program.

  • Examine your exercise options. Pick an exercise program you know you will enjoy so that you stick with it.

  • Start slowly. Do not over exert yourself when you first start exercising.

  • Exercise with a friend. It will help keep you motivated.

  • Set specific short and long-term goals.

  • Make a list of the benefits you expect from your exercise program. Make sure your expectations are realistic.

  • Make another list of all the reasons for being physically active, such as decreasing stress, strengthening bones, improving strength and flexibility, greater independence, more energy, and better sleep.

  • If you plan to join a health club, check out the facility. Does it have friendly, helpful staff? How are the change rooms? What kinds of programs are available?

  • Move all the time, even when you are not doing a structured workout. Stretch, walk, march in place, stand, and sit as many times as possible when you are watching television or talking on the phone.

  • Tell your family and friends about your exercise goals and ask them for their support and encouragement.

  • Wear proper footwear.

  • If an exercise hurts, discontinue it.

  • Focus on major muscle groups in your legs, chest, and back.

  • Do balance exercises, as well as strength exercises.

  • Keep a journal of your exercise progress.

  • Park your car and walk whenever possible. Use stairs instead of elevators.

  • Reward yourself. When you have reached your goal, treat yourself with something that feeds your spirit—not food or an expensive purchase.

Always consult your physician for more information.



Warning: Starting a Daily Exercise Program


It is always important to consult your physician before starting an exercise program. This is particularly true if any of the following apply to your current medical condition:

  • chest pain or pain in the neck and/or arm
  • shortness of breath
  • a diagnosed heart condition
  • joint and/or bone problems
  • currently taking cardiac and/or blood pressure medications
  • have not previously been physically active
    dizziness

If none of these apply to you, start gradually and sensibly. However, if you feel any of the physical symptoms listed above when you start your exercise program, consult your physician right away.

If one or more of the statements listed above applies for you, see your physician before beginning an exercise program. An exercise-stress test may be used to help plan your exercise program.



Benefits From Regular Exercise or Physical Activity

  • improves blood circulation throughout the body
  • keeps weight under control
  • improves blood cholesterol levels
  • prevents and manages high blood pressure
  • prevents bone loss
  • boosts energy level
  • releases tension
  • improves the ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well
  • improves self-image
  • helps manage stress
  • counters anxiety and depression
  • increases enthusiasm and optimism
  • increases muscle strength

A daily exercise program can provide a way to share an activity with family and friends, while helping establish good heart-healthy habits. For children, daily exercise deters conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, poor cholesterol levels, and poor lifestyle habits that lead to heart attack and stroke later in life. For older people, daily physical activity helps delay or prevent chronic illnesses and diseases associated with aging, and maintains quality of life and independence longer.


Online Resources

(Our Organization is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

International Council on Active Aging

Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)

The Lancet

National Sleep Foundation

For more information on exercise and heart disease prevention, please visit the Cardiovascular Disorders information module on this Web site.

Gain Sleep, Lose Weight for the New Year

Research shows poor slumber can add pounds

Determined to lose weight this New Year? Try sleeping those pounds off.

That advice may sound backwards, but recent research suggests chronic sleep deprivation can affect the body's metabolism, which, in turn, directly affects your ability to shed those extra pounds.

Sleep deprivation is becoming an American phenomenon. The National Sleep Foundation's 2002 "Sleep in America" poll found that Americans are chronically behind in their slumber hours, with only 30 percent of adults getting eight or more hours of sleep on weeknights and only 52 percent getting their eight hours on weekends.

Many Americans may also suffer from one or more sleep disorders. The same poll found that 74 percent of respondents experienced at least one symptom of a sleep disorder a few nights per week or more. Fifty-eight percent reported experiencing at least one sign of insomnia a few nights a week.

Could this be why one source says 90 percent of Americans fail to achieve their New Year's resolutions?

Increasingly, science is suggesting the answer is "yes."

"The studies that have been done show that if people get less sleep than they should, that this would affect various components of metabolism. A number of different hormones affect metabolism and can affect appetite and therefore weight," says Dr. Michael Thorpy, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "Blood glucose tends to be higher, insulin levels lower and cortisol levels higher after sleep deprivation. There's additional evidence that the hormone leptin [secreted by fat cells] is influenced by sleep loss, and there are some studies that are . . . just coming out showing that people after sleep loss have an increase in appetite, so they eat more."

An article in a recent issue of The Lancet found that lack of sleep had a harmful effect on carbohydrate metabolism and endocrine function. Specifically, glucose tolerance appeared to be lower in people deprived of shut-eye.

"The effect on impairing glucose tolerance is not too dissimilar to some patients who have diabetes," Thorpy says.

An earlier story published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that lower amounts of REM (deep or slow-wave) sleep seemed to be associated with higher evening cortisol levels. The hormone cortisol plays a role in regulating appetite.

"When people are making resolutions to lose weight in the New Year, they ought to structure in trying to maintain sleep patterns," Thorpy says. "Improved sleep quality goes together with weight management."

The following are some tips from the National Sleep Foundation that could make your New Year's resolution an achievable one:

  • If you have difficulty sleeping at night, do not nap during the day.

  • Maintain a regular exercise schedule, but do not work out within three hours of going to bed.

  • Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol in the late afternoon and evening as they can either delay or interrupt your sleep.

  • Drink fewer fluids before bedtime.

  • Avoid heavy meals before going to sleep.

  • Do not smoke.

  • Unwind in a warm bath or find some other ritual to relax you before going to bed.

  • Go to bed and wake up at regular times every day.

  • If you find yourself tossing and turning, get up and read or listen to relaxing music before trying again.

Always consult your physician for more information.