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Health & Fitness at Any Age
by Penny Deutsch
July, 2004
Most of us have
prescriptions refilled at one time or another and
something interesting happened
 recently
that I want to share with you. The prescriptions
that your physician writes for you will have a list
of ingredients, side effects and other items of
interest in the package. Although most of this
information may seem overwhelming due to the medical
terminology, you should always read it for the parts
you do understand – notably, the side effects.
When I was
recently presribed a medication for an upset stomach
and started reading the enclosed list of side
effects, I noticed some I was uncomfortable with, so
I went on-line and discovered that the medication
was actually for someone with Krohns disease. Since
I had not been diagnosed with Krohns, I called my
doctor, told him of my concerns and that I was not
going to take the medication. As it turned out,
further testing demonstrated that I did the right
thing.
Some years ago, I
picked up my prescription at the
pharmacy and discovered when I
arrived home that I had been given
the wrong medication. While probably
99.9 percent of the time, your
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medication will be correct and
just what the doctor ordered,
don’t just take it for granted.
Always check to make sure that the
medication corresponds with your
diagnosis, doesn’t have side effects
that perhaps the doctor overlooked
and always make sure that the
medication you collect at the
pharmacy is the same as the one on
your original prescription.
Sometimes
medications can conflict with
over-the-counter (OTC) medications,
so it is important that you let your
doctor know everything you are
taking, not just the prescribed
meds. Some of these OTC vitamins or
health products can actually cause
serious illness and if you are not
sure, just let your doctor know and
he can put your mind at ease.
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Getting back to exercising, how have
you been doing? If you are like many
people, you may be hesitant to go to
a gymnasium or spa, and if so,
that’s fine. You can start your
exercise regime at home, or you can
visit several gymnasiums in the
local area. The important thing is
that you exercise. Even 30 minutes a
day can increase your stamina and
improve your health. As the photo
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shows, stretching is an important
part of exercise, both at the
beginning to loosen muscles and at
the end to stretch them out after
their exertion.
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In this photo, the
lady is performing calf raises. This
exercise works the front thigh
muscles (quadriceps). The weight can
be adjusted to your comfort level
and increased as the exercise
requires less effort on your part.
As you become more used to each
exercise, your strength and stamina
will increase. You should be
comfortable performing 15
repetitions with each exercise prior
to increasing the weight. |
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In the next
exercise, lay face-down on the bench
while lightly gripping the handles,
with your feet under the bar. With
the weight at your comfort level,
lift the bar under your feet,
without raising your derriere, as
this lady is doing. This exercise
works the back of your thighs, or
hamstring muscles, and you can use
both feet to lift or one at a time
to place more stress on each
hamstring. |
Another good
exercise for strengthening your leg
muscles is this one that requires
you to press the bar backwards using
each leg simultaneously and can also
be used sideways to press the bar
away with each leg and strengthen
the abductor and adductor muscles of
your inner and outer thighs.
If you have arthritis, fibromyalgia
or other ailment that makes your
muscles ache, try weight lifting to
ease the pain. Using your muscles
will not only strengthen them, but
new muscle-mass will enable you to
perform simple tasks more easily. As
with any exercise, check with your
physician first. Most of the time
they will agree that moderate
exercise is good for you, but to
make sure that your personal medical
history is taken into account and
your doctor is informed, check with
her or him first. Next month we will
look at some exercises that you can
perform at home, outside or when
traveling.
Please contact me at
c1943x@comcast.net if you have
specific questions.
Please click here for additional information
or if you would like to contact the
author of this article, Penny Deutsch. Thank you!
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"If you are really living... you are enjoying the Punta Gorda
Life"
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