Entrees to Exercise: The Mailbox Technique

This cool technique for getting into an exercise program is based on a true story, so I'll tell you the story and you'll instantly understand how to adopt it. This is an exercise program for people who haven't exercised for quite a while and might be tempted to start too fast -- or not at all.

The true story starts with a 68 yr old man's return from the doctor, where tests showed he had serious heart disease. No wonder! He was of signficant size, and spent most of his life on the couch -- when he wasn't getting a snack.

The news of heart disease motivated him to start an exercise program. He decided to start with a walk, so he headed out the front door. But he didn't make it past the mailbox before he was out of breath and feeling he couldn't go farther.

He returned to the couch, but before 24 hours had passed, he found within himself the resolve to continue his exercise program. He figured that if he could get to the mailbox the first day, he could get to his neighbor's mailbox the second. He did manage to do it before returning to his couch.

The next day, he did it again. He went to one more mailbox, turned around, and went home. So after that, that was his program: just one more mailbox.

He continued adding mailboxes until he was going quite a distance every day. He felt better, looked better, sounded better, and even slept better.

Finally he left his neighborhood and headed down the county road where the mailboxes were further apart. Still he added one a day, no more and no less.

The days went by. He felt better and better, and went faster and faster, and farther and farther. And what do you know? At the end of the year, he ran in and finished an actual marathon! No more heart disease for him!

This is a true story. The technique doesn't need much explanation. Remember: one mailbox a day (5 days a week will do). Don't cheat by going too far. Just add one.

I tried this. I took my dog and he loved it. We went quite far, over time. I never felt oppressed by the program because I always knew where I would be stopping.

I don't know if it will work for you, but what if it does? Set out for the next mailbox today! PL

This post may be reproduced in an email or newsletter only without changes and as long as it contains this statement and the following: (c) Peg Lewis 2004. To subscribe to this service, please visit http://healthfrontier.blogspot.com and join the Southwest Wellness Center mailing list.

Vioxx is gone -- now what?

CNN.com - Arthritis drug Vioxx being pulled - Sep 30, 2004

Drugs have side effects. How much harm is done while a drug is in use, until a health risk is found?

What can you do if you've been using Vioxx? Take the Wellness Profile and see what your body is missing to put it back on track to booming good health. http://healthyfrontiers.com/html/process22.html

Wellness Profile compares your answers with a large database of other people, then issues you a snapshot of your health today. You will receive a free report and free 15 minute phone consultation (optional).* This is a service of Southwest Wellness Center, based in Tucson AZ.

Wellness Profile may suggest lifestyle, dietary, and other changes. You may retake Wellness Profile 60 days later to see if these changes are working for you.

Here's one example of how it has worked for someone. If you take the profile, please add your story here:

A 58 year old woman who was careful with her diet and used supplements found that every spring she felt as though she were coming down with the flu. She ached so much that she found work difficult, but then she never really came down sick. She took the Wellness Profile and found she was low in magnesium, which she added to her supplement routine. The aches went away. But why just in the spring? Because then she began to exercise again, each year, and exercise uses up magnesium. It also was lost in her sweat.

The doctor had prescribed ibuprophen and bedrest. But what she needed was magnesium.

If the doctor has prescribed Vioxx for you, now would be a good time to find out what you really need. Go to http://healthyfrontiers.com/html/process22.html and take your Wellness Profile today.

Your turn! PL

*We do not prescribe or diagnose. We simply share the patterns the Wellness Profile detects, and the suggestions it makes.

This post may be reproduced in an email or newsletter only without changes and as long as it contains this statement and the following: (c) Peg Lewis 2004. To subscribe to this service, please visit http://healthfrontier.blogspot.com and join the Southwest Wellness Center mailing list.

Wellness Profile -- get a snapshot of your health today

This is a free service of Southwest Wellness Center. Click on the link, fill out the questionnaire, and a report will be sent to you.

Here's the link: http://healthyfrontiers.com/html/process22.html.

PL

This post may be reproduced in an email or newsletter only without changes and as long as it contains this statement and the following: (c) Peg Lewis 2004. To subscribe to this service, please visit http://healthfrontier.blogspot.com and join the Southwest Wellness Center mailing list.

Iron a major culprit in Heart Disease?

Are we rusting to death?

In an Oct 2002 health article, CNN.com reported that high levels of iron in the blood apparently contribute to heart disease. The iron is an oxidant, and in clinical tests was shown to damage the artery lining of healthy men, while removing iron was shown to improve the health of the artery lining of men with heart disease.

Premenopausal women may have an edge in avoiding heart disease exactly because they lose blood -- and hence iron -- every month. The fact that this edge disappears at menopause strengthens the argument.

The study was conducted by Dr. Hidehiro Matsuoka, chief of the division of hypertension at the Kurume Medical School in Kurume, Japan.

"Our study shows that we should recognize iron as a risk factor for atherosclerosis and understand the need to control our body iron levels to prevent cardiovascular disease," Matsuoka said in a statement.

The well-known correlation between heart disease and the consumption of red meat, a rich source of iron, adds further weight to the argument.

PL

This post may be reproduced in an email or newsletter only without changes and as long as it contains this statement and the following: (c) Peg Lewis 2004. To subscribe to this service, please visit http://healthfrontier.blogspot.com and join the Southwest Wellness Center mailing list.

Cool site for free heart health info

Here's a site I came across that has free samples of booklets on many health topics. Here's the link:

http://hopehealth.com/booklets-template.asp?cat=DiseaseManagement.

Hope Health, the source of this information, provides health tips for employees across the country.

If you order one of the booklets, come back here and let us know how you liked it. PL

This post may be reproduced in an email or newsletter only without changes and as long as it contains this statement and the following: (c) Peg Lewis 2004. To subscribe to this service, please visit http://healthfrontier.blogspot.com and join the Southwest Wellness Center mailing list.

Bill Clinton's heart, and yours

What happened to Bill Clinton this week is a good example.

Bill 'got religion' about his health about a year ago, and set about to make lifestyle changes.

Was it too little?

Or too late? It was certainly almost too late. A major heart attack was imminent. His first, and most likely his last.

He changed his diet by cutting out fatty foods, and began to exercise. It wasn't enough. His arteries were still clogged, 90% shut down, with so little blood flow that he began to have chest pains.

It was too little.

So was his situation hopeless? Is it too late for those who have put off diet changes or exercise? Can we change our heart health profile?

The answer is that it's not too late, not ever. But it was too little.

Bill could have done a few simple things that he didn't do that might have resulted in no clogged arteries at all -- even if he didn't start till last year.

That means you can do a few simple things to put off a heart attack, even if your wake up call happened only this week.

We'll post suggestions here that actually work for people. Meanwhile, you can always visit www.southwestwellnesscenter/whatsnew.

Visit often, post your comments and experiences, and we'll find ourselves at the cutting edge of health, the healthfrontiers.

This post may be reproduced in an email or newsletter only without changes and as long as it contains this statement and the following: (c) Peg Lewis 2004. To subscribe to this service, please visit http://healthfrontier.blogspot.com and join the Southwest Wellness Center mailing list.