11A
EDITORIALS/ The Charlotte Post
March 6, 1997
HEALTHY BODY/ HEALTHY MIND
Weight loss can be maintained with work
Aprella
Bridges,
R.N.
Weight control diets are
designed to provide a specific
calorie level calculated to meet
an individual’s requirement to
attain optimal body weight. An
exercise program is also highly
recommended. Weight loss of
one to two pounds per week is
optimal. Individual’s seeking to
make a lifetime commitment to
improve their eating and exer
cise habits can succeed at long
term weight loss. Most of the
successful long-term weight-
loss programs include several
components; behavior modifica
tion; exercise; nutrition; social
support; and cognitive changes,
including goal setting,
assertiveness training, and cop
ing with mistakes and motiva
tion. Emphasis should be
placed on slow, progressive
weight loss. Everyone on a diet
will experience an occasional
setback. This doesn’t mean fail
ure. Long-term success is stiU
possible.
Some tips to help you get
started:
•Evaluate what behaviors,
activities or feelings trigger
eating. ‘Don’t use food as a
reward for desired behavior.
•Drink plenty of non-caloric
fluids, including water daily.
•Change usual eating places,
avoid eating while involved in
activities. ‘Make an effort to
eat breakfast and small, fre
quent meals. ‘Eat fresh fhrits
and raw vegetables at least 4
times daily. ‘Exercise along
with television exercise pro
grams or during commercials
while watching 'TV as recom
mended by your doctor. ‘Eat
slowly, putting your utensil
down between bites. ‘Weight
should be checked on a weekly
basis. ‘Clean high calorie, low
nutrient foods out of cupboards.
‘Keep busy so the focus is not
food. ‘Shop from a healthy food
list and not when hungry.
‘Leave the table as soon as you
finish eating and do not feel
obligated to eat everything.
‘Trim fat offineat and skin off-
poultry. ‘Place a photo of a
thinner you on the mirror.
‘Plan ahead, especially when
attending social events. ‘Keep
records of intake and/or weight
loss progress. ‘When weight
drops, give away clothes that
no longer fit. ‘Break the habit
of nibbling while cooking or
cleaning up from meals. ‘Try
low fat and low calorie food
items (the taste will improve as
you get used it.)
If you have
trouble receiving your
subscription to the Post
please contact us at
704-376-0496
Thank you
No ouch workout possible with caution
DR.
WAYNE
RILEY
Couch potatoes may trade the
couch for “ouch” if they pursue
an exercise program too
aggressively.
It’s not uncommon at this
time of year for patients to
complain of chest-wall pain
near the rib cage a general
internist and an
Often, they are sedentary
people who have made a New
Year’s resolution to exercise.
Instead of getting back into
shape slowly, they try to
achieve their athletic goals
immediately by playing basket
ball for six hours or doing 50
stomach crunches on an
abdominal-flexor machine, he
said.
The chest-waU pain usually
stems from a sprained muscle
or an inflammation of the rib.
If your left side hurts when
you press on your ribs or take a
deep breath or move your
shoulder, that's a strong indica
tion you have injured a chest
muscle or rib cartilage.
The injury can be treated
with over-the-counter nons
teroidal drugs that decrease
inflammation and pain. Riley
also recommends applying an
ice pack to the chest during the
first two days after the injury.
If the intensity of the pain
does not decrease within 48 to
72 hours, see your physician. X-
rays may be needed to deter
mine whether you have broken
a rib or dislocated a shoulder.
Rest at least a week before
exercising again to allow time
for the muscle to recover.
When you resume exercising,
start at a lower level of intensi
ty and pace yourself to avoid
re-injuring the muscle.
Riley recommends;
‘ Instead of doing 50 abdomi
nal crunches at the start, begin
with 10 and increase the num
ber by five each day until you
reach your goal.
‘ Start weight-lifting rou
tines with a moderate load and
perform repetitions several
times a week. Increase the
volume by five to 10 percent as
you become comfortable with
the weight load.
‘ Limit tennis, basketball
and other sports that require
strenuous shoulder-arm move
ments to an hour of play the
first few times, and build up to
more strenuous workouts.
Those good intentions to
improve your health by exercis
ing can be salvaged if you
expand your workout gradually
and give your body time to
adjust, Riley said.
Wayne Riley, M.D.is an assis
tant professor of medicine at
Baylor College of Medicine in
Houston.
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Around Charlotte
‘Applications for the Wilmore
Scholarship are now available
finm the Wilmore Neighborhood
Association and Foundation for
the Carolinas. The scholarship is
awarded to graduating seniors
from the Wilmore community
who wish to attend college, tech
nical or vocational schools. For
more information, call 376-9541
or 376-3440. Application dead
line is March 15.
‘The Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Community Relations
Committee is seeking nomina
tions for the annual Police
Community Relations Awards.
The award recognizes officers
and teams who made outstand
ing contributions to improved
relations between police and citi
zens. For more information, call
336-3800.
‘The Mecklenburg County
Women’s Commission will offer
a pre-employment seminar for
displaced homemakers and sin-
• gle parents March 7-21. To reg-
, ister, call 336-3210 or 336-4309.
i
, ‘The Metrohna AIDS Project,
: Community Health Services and
■Carolinas Healthcare System
wiH team offer fi^ee confidential
HIV testing at Community
.Health Services, 1401 E. 7th
Street. The testing will be
, offered Saturdays finm 10 a.m.-2
' p.m. For more information, call
■333-1435.
1
! Thursday
‘The Urban League wiH spon
sor its annual Whitney M.
Young Award Dinner at 7 p.m.
at the Charlotte Convention
Center. The recipient of this
• year’s award will be
NationsBank executive Joseph
Martin.
^ Friday
‘The Regional HIV/AIDS
Consortium wiH convene at the
Hilton University Place. For
more information, caU 371-6341.
Saturday
‘Historic Brattonsville opens
for the 1997 tour season.
Located 12 mHes from Rock HHl,
S.C., the sight offers guided
tours of a plantation. For more
■information, caH (803)684-2327.
‘The Afro-American Cultural
Center wiH feature “Story Man,”
Jamal Koram, at 11 a.m. in the
Center’s Attic Theatre. Koram
has been featured in several
pubHcations and authored sever
al books, including “When Lions
Could Fly.” The .Afro-.American
Cultural Center is located near
the corner of Seventh and
McDoweH streets.
‘Big Shot Saturday immu
nizations -will be available for
chHdren age 2-12. CHnics wHl be
held at the Target store on
Independence Boulevard and
the Wal-Mart store on
•Abermarle Road fi-om 9-11 a.m.
For more information, call 336-
4559. The program sponsored
by the Mecklenburg County
Health Department and the
Junior League of Charlotte.
‘.An attic sale sponsored by the
Parents’ Council of Charlotte
Latin School, 9502 Providence
Road. The sale begins at 8 a.m.
at Belk Gym. Proceeds will be
used for instructional materials
and supplies for teachers and
students.
‘WCCB-TV and WTDR will
sponsor a bowl-a-thon for the
Muscular Dystrophy Association
at Carolina Lanes in Matthews.
For more information, caH 567-
2912.
Monday
‘The Lockwood Neighborhood
Association will meet at 7:30
p.m. at the Cluster II Resource
Center,1500 North Tryon St.
Upcoming events
‘The Mecklenburg County
Women’s Commission wiH host
Kate Richards, Dean Witter
Reynolds Accoimt Executive at
the Adams Mark Hotel, 555
McDoweH St. For reservations,
caH 336-6094.
‘Homebuyers Seminar spon
sored by the Urban League
March 15 at Nations Ford
Baptist Chiu-ch, 7410 Nations
Ford Road. Individual counsel
ing is avaHable by caHing 379-
7743 or 522-6460.
‘The Great Bridal Expo
March 16 at the Westin Hotel.
‘The Mecklenburg Vegetarian
Association will sponsor the
Groat American Meat Out
March 16 at the at 6 p.m. at
Seventh Day Adventist Church,
920 N. Sharon Amity Road.
Admission is $5.
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