All Posts tagged women’s health tips

Why Exercise is So Important for Women

By 25 Mar, 2014 Women's Health , , , ,

exercisewomenYou’re constantly being told that you should exercise, but it can be hard to find the time—let alone the motivation! Maybe you don’t have to lose weight. Maybe you realize that the images of women’s bodies you see in magazines are as phony as a three-dollar bill. But the best reasons for getting exercise are not about how you look. There are several health issues that you can treat, or avoid, just by exercising regularly.

  • Exercise will keep your heart healthy. Your heart is the hardest working muscle in your body, and any exercise that elevates your heart rate and breathing makes your heart healthier and stronger. And if you have a family history of heart disease, enjoying regular exercise can add a few years to your life.
  • Exercise helps relieve stress. And we all have stress! Whether at work or at home, whenever you’re feeling stressed, get up and go for a walk or a bike ride. It’ll help calm you down and use that nervous energy for productive results.
  • Exercise plays a major role preventing osteoporosis, a disease that is particularly prevalent in women.  Lifting weights, running, yoga and other activities can help delay or even prevent osteoporosis.
  • Exercise helps moms set a great example for their children. You’ll be teaching them about self-discipline and demonstrating how to be healthy, and the energy you get from exercise can only help you with parenting!
  • Exercise may prevent certain cancers, especially breast cancer. That’s a great reason to do it.
  • Exercise will lift your mood! You’ll feel great when you exercise regularly.  It releases endorphins into your bloodstream that will help you sail through most of your day.
  • Exercise will help you live longer! Research has proven that you can extend your lifespan by exercising regularly.
  • Exercise can help you lose weight, or just control and manage it. Either way, you’ll avoid many health problems associated with being overweight.

So, what kind of exercise should you be doing?

Get some cardiovascular exercise for sure, but don’t take it too easy on yourself. If your workouts consist of lifting light weights and slow-paced cardio, you likely won’t get great results.  Try:

  • High-intensity training – you need to sweat and increase your heart rate.
  • Heavier lifting – Doing fewer reps with more weight will burn more fat and increase your strength.
  • Focusing on your upper body more often – This is an area that women need to concentrate on building.

And don’t forget, you don’t have to join a gym to get exercise. Walk, run or bike around the block, chase your kids or your dog around the yard, or lift weights while you’re watching TV. As the old slogan said, “Just do it!”

Looking for a top OBGYN practice in Buffalo?  The doctors at Chouchani, Sayegh and Bagnarello MD are committed to helping our patients achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  We are committed to women’s health.  Call us to find out more information about our practice or make an appointment today!

 

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Got the winter blues? The importance of taking Vitamin D in the winter months

By 13 Dec, 2013 Women's Health , , , , , , , , , ,

ID-100206385-sunMedical professionals have known for decades that everyone’s vitamin D levels drop in the wintertime, especially those who live in the northern part of the country. Why is it a problem? Because vitamin D deficiency is connected with several health issues, especially anxiety and depression, and you may need to take extra action to keep your vitamin D levels high enough, and steady.

Vitamin D helps your body use calcium to build and maintain strong bones. It may also increase muscle strength to help prevent falls and broken bones as you age. And low levels of vitamin D have been linked with high blood pressure, diabetes, hypothyroidism, arthritis, and cancer.

Then there’s seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that occurs during the winter months, when there’s not much sunlight. Vitamin D deficiency can actually cause depression year-round.

Why is it so hard to get enough vitamin D in the winter? Mostly because of the lack of sun.

Your body gets vitamin D from three places: sunlight, food and supplements. Your body makes Vitamin D when your skin is exposed to the ultraviolet light (UVB rays) from the sun. During Western New York’s snowy, often overcast winter days, you won’t get enough UVB rays to make enough vitamin D. And the foods where vitamin D is found—cod liver oil, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring and tuna and eggs—are often high in fat and low in popularity. It’s no wonder most of us need to supplement!

How much should you take? If your doctor has tested your vitamin D levels and found them to be too low, he or she may prescribe a very high level supplement to be taken for a short period of time. After that time, a maintenance dose should suffice.

It’s been proven that women who take supplements in winter are able to significantly elevate their vitamin D levels compared to those who don’t take supplements. It’s yet another way you can take care of yourself and your health, something that the doctors at Chouchani, Sayegh and Bagnarello encourage. Please make an appointment with us if you have any health concerns you feel we can help you with!

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