Tips To Stay Active This Fall

It seems as though everything is just a bit easier during the summer. People tend to be a little more laid back at work, there are less people on the road because many are on vacation and, with the added sunlight and warm temperatures, being active seems to be much less of a hassle.

Autumn, though, is here. Say goodbye to the warm temperatures and hello to shorter days and cooler weather. Perhaps it’s the fewer hours of sunlight, but this time of the year seems to be when many go into hibernation and ease up on their active summer lifestyles.

This doesn’t have to be the case as there are many fun things to do to stay fit during the cooler months.

“The change of seasons is a good time to focus on health and wellness goals," said Ngozi Onuoha, MD, FACP, of Penn Internal Medicine Mayfair. "Autumn is a great season to walk. Walking is a great form of exercise that does not require much preparation."

Here are some other tips to keep you moving and feeling healthy this fall.

• Make exercise fun: Autumn is synonymous with harvest season. What better way to stay active than to go pumpkin or apple picking with your family or friends? For the younger ones (or those simply young at heart, take part in physical activities such as corn mazes and haunted trails.
• Sign up for a holiday run: Fall is the season in which many fun runs and events occur. Participate in Halloween runs, turkey trots, reindeer romps, etc. Setting a specific goal, such as a race to train for, increases adherence to an exercise program. Signing up with friends or family will motivate you even more.
• Enjoy the colors: Grab a friend, and find a local park that has great trails to walk, run, or ride a bike on.
• Go to a farmer’s market: Many of the root vegetables are in season and are inexpensive. Grab some apples while you’re at it as they’re rich in antioxidants and flavanoids, both of which can reduce cholesterol.
• Take advantage of the cooler weather: Play catch, walk the dog, get a group of friends together to play ultimate Frisbee or touch football.
•  Make Fall chores fun: Raking your lawn can be a real workout. Have fun with it (perhaps by jumping in the leaves??).


Tell us how you plan on staying active this Fall.
Leave your thoughts below.

Get Fit While at Work

These days, it seems as though more and more people are working longer hours and using the old "no-time-to-exercise" excuse.

Unfortunately, this lack of physical activity can be harmful to your health, as it increases the risk of obesity, back pain, poor posture, leg cramps and tense muscles, among other things.

"The most profitable investment you can make in life is in your physical fitness," says sports medicine Michael C. Schettino, MD. "Any type of physical activity can improve an individual's health."

Wouldn't it be great if you could find a way to fit in some type of workout during those 8+ work hours?

Well, the good news is…you can. It just requires a slight change in how you work or get to work, to make a meaningful improvement.

Cardio

Schedule walk-and-talk meetings. Who says a meeting needs to be held around a table? Take a brainstorming stroll with a colleague. If you need to take notes, schedule the meeting at a park where you can sit on a bench.

Avoid the elevator. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults get two hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise to stay fit. Stair climbing for just 10 minutes, three times a day, for example, will total 30 minutes of heart-strengthening exercise, putting you well on your way to reaching that mark.

Take a stand. Set a timer to remind yourself to get out of your chair every 30 minutes. Use this time to walk to the water cooler or check in on a project.

Flexibility

Reach for the sky. Sitting at a desk all day can lead to neck pain between the shoulder blades. You can reduce the pain by reaching both arms up to the ceiling and arching your back. Then bring your arms down and stretch forward, opening the upper back. Do this every 20 minutes.

Stretch out your shoulders. Sit straight in your chair and reach one hand behind your back with your palm out. Then reach your other hand up and bend it down, trying to touch both hands. Hold for 10 seconds.

Point your fingers. Typing for eight straight hours can be harmful to your hands, wrist and forearms. Stretch one hand in front of you, pointing your fingers toward the ground. Use your other hand to gently push your fingers down and toward your body. Repeat on the other side. Then, stretch your hands upward doing the same.

Strength

Tone your arms wherever you can. A great way to sneak fitness into your day is to do a few push-ups here and there. Remember, all you need is a flat surface – and it doesn’t need to be horizontal. Simply lean against a wall, desk or other sturdy surface and get a few reps in.

Rise up out of your chair. Even if you are stuck in your chair all day, you can still get some core work in. Throughout the day, simply lift yourself off your chair with your arms.  If your chair is on wheels, it'll be even harder to hold your body still.

Get your legs up. While sitting in your chair, extend one leg out straight in front of you and hold for a few seconds. Then raise it up as high as you can and hold it again for a few seconds. Repeat with each leg multiple times.

These simple actions can significantly increase your physical health. Squeezing in a little exercise also improves concentration and could actually improve your productivity. Also, don't forget…

"The steps taken to improve physical fitness today will increase the likelihood of climbing the future steps of tomorrow," said Dr. Schettino.

Interested in more helpful tips for staying healthy? Check out our Patient Resources section.

Need help finding a primary care doctor in your area?

37th Annual Penn Medicine Radnor Run

It’s time to lace up your sneakers for a great event. The 37th annual Penn Medicine Radnor Run will be held on Sunday, October 26, 2014.

This family-friendly event benefits the American Lung Association in Pennsylvania and their effort to help improve the lives of those currently living with chronic lung disease. The money raised will help fund important programs, including asthma camp, clean air in schools and smoking prevention/cessation for teens and adults.

The Radnor Run includes a five mile road race that is sanctioned and certified by the USA Track and Field Association and a one mile fun run. The first place female runner will receive the Jody’s Cup, an award in the memory of Radnor Township resident Jody Lynn Sack and the first place male runner will receive the Penn Medicine Award.

You don’t have to be a runner to take part in the day’s fun festivities which will include games, activities, and many giveaways. Bring the whole family out to enjoy a fun, harvest-themed day in Radnor!

Sign up today for the Penn Medicine Radnor Run!

Date:  Sunday, October 26
Time: 5-Mile Race Start: 8:30 a.m.
          1-Mile Fun Run Start: 8:40 a.m.
Location: 301 Iven Ave. Wayne, PA

Join the fight for clean air

It is estimated that close to 342,000 Americans die of lung disease each year, responsible for one in seven deaths. The American Lung Association and partner organizations are fighting to protect the Clean Air Act, a law that protects public health by reducing harmful pollution and gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the ability to clean up the air.

Air pollution has very serious health effects including shortness of breath, asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, lung disease and even premature death. The Clean Air Act helps to reduce the pollutants that lead to these types of health issues.

The American Lung Association has and will continue to play a critical role in the advocacy for clean air.  For more information, please visit www.lunginfo.org

Track your success

Need some extra motivation to get out there and hit the pavement? Look into the benefits of a digital fitness tracker.

If the shoe fits…run!

A well-fitted pair of running shoes can make all the difference. Check out Dr. Farber’s take on the importance of picking the right running shoe.

The benefits of staying active

Aspiring to improve your health? By simply staying active, you can unlock many hidden health benefits.

Are Women Athletes More Susceptible to Injury?

Erik Thorell, DO, discusses if gender plays a role in individuals being more susceptible to injury. Dr. Thorell practices at Penn Medicine Woodbury Heights.

In a perfect world, every run would be completely pain-free. No soreness, no aches and no lingering effects from the previous workout. Unfortunately, many runners constantly deal with a slight disturbance. There are things that can be done by, both men and women, to reduce the risk of injury.

Regardless of how careful you are, injuries do occur. And, for women, the rate of injury is slightly higher. Runner’s knee, stress fractures, shin splints and plantar fasciitis are all injuries that are more common with female runners.

“One anatomical difference between men and women leading to greater predisposition to lower extremity injuries is the wider female pelvis, which results in a larger Q-angle,” says Erik Thorell, DO. “This results in increased stress across the knee in particular.”

Simply put, men and women are built differently. Women tend to have smaller, weaker muscles supporting their knees, as well as more lax ligaments. They typically have a larger hip width to femoral length ratio, which leads to greater hip adduction (muscles located towards the lateral portion of the thigh contract and pull the thigh away from the midline of the body). Females are also more at risk of certain injuries because there is added motion in their hips and pelvis.

When it comes to bone injuries, females are, again, more susceptible than their male counterparts. Women have smaller bone dimensions and are predisposed to lower bone density. Also, estrogen, a hormone in women that protects bones, decreases sharply as women age. All of these factors increase the risk of broken bones.

“Though gender differences do predispose women more to certain musculoskeletal injuries, attention to bone health, nutrition, core strengthening and a well-structured exercise routine can mitigate some of these problems,” explains Dr. Thorell.

Tips to Reduce the Risk of Injury

Because women suffer sports injuries more often than men, it is important they take extra care prior to playing sports or exercising. Below we offer certain exercises and other helpful tips:

• Leg lifts, back bridges and standing hip flexors help to improve motion and flexibility in the hip and glutes area.
• Weight-bearing exercises help to build and maintain bone density.  Attend dance classes, go for hikes, pick up aerobics or simply get into fast walking.
• Balance exercises, such as Tai-Chi, can help strengthen legs.
• Wear proper footwear and work out on appropriate (not very hard) surfaces.
• Don’t suddenly intensify or lengthen your workouts.

Have other tips? Please leave them below.
Learn more about the advanced treatments and world-class orthopaedic specialists at Penn.

Fitness Trackers – What’s All the Hype About?

Becoming more physically active and shedding a few pounds are two goals most adults strive to achieve. In today's busy world, though, it can sometimes be quite challenging to do so.

Perhaps in the past you've tried various diets and exercise programs, seeing little to
no results? And you ask yourself 'what’s left to try?' You want to be more active and healthier in general, but you just don't have the time to devote to it.

Enter the newest fitness craze - wireless fitness trackers.

These small devices are typically worn around the wrist and can track information about your overall health. Fitness trackers can sync wirelessly with computers or smartphones to display data including the number of steps taken throughout the day, calories burned, and the quality of your sleep. Also, most trackers allow you to enter the foods you've eaten throughout the day to keep track of calories and nutrition.

This latest advancement in personal fitness has many ecstatic, claiming it’s the answer to long-lasting weight loss. Could it be true? Do fitness trackers really help you effectively lose weight and live a sustainable, healthy lifestyle?

"While fitness trackers certainly can be a helpful tool to track health and weight loss progress, the individual still has to stay motivated to make dietary changes or keep up with that new exercise routine," says Lori M. Noble, MD, a primary care physician at Spruce Internal Medicine, located at the new Penn Medicine Washington Square. "Fitness technology can certainly add positive reinforcement, but it can’t pick an individual up off their couch or take the donut out of their hand."

Still, the health and fitness technology market is growing by 20% each year, making fitness trackers more popular by the minute. There are dozens of trackers currently on the market -- FitBit, Jawbone UP, and the Nike Fuelband being the most common.

All of these devices have corresponding apps that allow you to view and interact with all of the information it’s capturing. Most also have social features that allow you to connect with friends and other users online.

In addition to these apps, there are several health and fitness programs that have similar lifestyle tools to help you track your activity. MyFitnessPal, RunKeeper, Fitness Builder, and MapMyFitness are all apps that help you track your fitness without having to buy a somewhat costly fitness tracker.

Many people have made tracking their fitness a part of their daily lives. Because this technology is still somewhat new, there are questions that people have about the effectiveness of the devices.

 Fitness tracker or not, the most important thing to do is to get out there and stay active.

"Perhaps one of the most basic keys to sticking with an exercise routine is to make it fun – pick an activity that you enjoy so you actually look forward to scheduling it into your day," says Dr. Noble. "And if you start to get bored, change it up.  Rotating activities keeps your mind and your body engaged."

For those of you looking for extra motivation, sign up for the Penn Medicine Radnor Run on October 26, 2014! This fun, 5-mile run will give you something to work towards as you stay active this summer.