Gaining Weight to Lose Weight

by Ernie Medina Jr., Dr. P.H., Preventive Care Specialist at Beaver Medical Group

 

What if you read an ad that promised to make you younger, protect against osteoporosis, increase your energy, improve your quality of life, rev up your metabolism, improve your self-esteem, reduce low back pain and other aches and pains, protect against injuries, and melt off the excess fat...all without supplements, chemicals, drugs or surgery. Would you be interested? That fact is, there IS such a product, and it’s called EXERCISE. But it’s not just any kind of exercise, it’s strength training, also known as resistance training or weight lifting. Whatever the name, it is a form of exercise that everyone (especially women over 30 years old) has to be doing if you want to obtain the above benefits. While aerobic activity, especially walking, has been in the media spotlight for some time now, this form of exercise is not enough to stop muscle loss. Don’t quit walking, but you need to be doing more than just something aerobic. The fact is, if you are not currently doing some form of strength training, you ARE losing muscle, no matter who you are. And with each pound of muscle lost, you will experience the opposite of all the above-mentioned benefits. There are many ways to strength train—lift dumb bells, use machines at a gym, or even good old calisthenics. In our Health Education Dept., we can provide group and individual instruction on setting up a balanced exercise program that includes both aerobic and strength training activities. Follow-ups will assure that you stay on track and make changes as needed. The best news is that a complete exercise program can be had for as little as one hour and 40 minutes a week! Is it worth less time than a movie to gain all the benefits mentioned in the beginning? If it is, call our Health Education Dept. at 335-4131 and ask about our Total Wellness program and our Total Wellness Challenge. With some new features added for Y2K, we can help you start the 2000s on the right foot. Ernie Medina, Jr, DrPh is a certified Preventative Care Specialist and provides classes at Beaver Medical Group about lifestyle management, exercise, nutrition, stress management, smoking cessation and lifestyle-related chronic diseases.

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