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| Two studies reported in the January 27, 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that even a mild amount of activity or exercise can improve heart and lung function. Routine activities such as raking leaves and climbing stairs can produce a positive cardiovascular effect. One study followed 235 men and women over two years. The participants were divided into groups. One group did vigorous exercise while the other group did only mild to moderate "lifestyle" exercise. After two years comparison of the two groups show similar and significant improvement in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body fat ratios. The conclusion gives hope and encouragement to those who are unable to do anything more than mild or moderate exercise. In short, when it come to exercise, some is better than none. The study did show, however, that the group that did vigorous exercise burned off calories three times as fast as the moderate exercise group did. |
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| From the Associate Press comes an article that reports on the benefits of corporations having their employees participate in wellness exercise programs. "Enthusiastic participation in worksite wellness can yield a variety of health benefits," said Dr. Roy Shephard of the University of Toronto. These corporate programs put exercise equipment and "health advisers" close to the workers. The companies add an extra incentive by either paying for all or part of the program. Unfortunately, many workers still don't participate. But, among those who do the results were impressive and several areas of health benefits were noticed. One of the benefits noticed was that workers who participated in the program lost an average of 13% body fat. Weight loss was 2% on average, and most participants were able to lower their blood pressure. Another benefit was that workers were able to increase their aerobic power. In this area women gained 7.4 percent while men gained 4.4 percent. Probably most important to employers who pick up the tab for medical health insurance was that these programs showed a reduction in medical expenses for workers who participated. Studies found that medical claims were reduced on average from between $100 and $400 for those people who took part in the wellness programs. These workers also took less sick time than the average. Between the reduction of sick days, and the reduction of medical claims, it was shown that these programs saved the companies who offered them an average of $500 to $700 per worker, more than enough to cover the cost of implementing these programs. |
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Since summer is well upon us, we thought it quite appropriate to add some tips for responsible outdoor exposure to heat and sun. The American Red Cross recommends several common sense tips to prevent problems.
Unfortunately, sometimes this common sense advice goes unheeded. On June 11th 1999 the US Center for Disease Control in Atlanta issued a report that stated that between 1979 and 1996 an average of 381 people died each year from heat. The actual total deaths for those years was 6,864 people. According to the CDC about half of those victims were over 65 years of age. |
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