Getting a Healthy Start on the New Year

For many of us, a new year means a re-commitment to living a better lifestyle. In today's Health News, MPB's Karen Brown talks with Dr. Rick DeShayzo. The Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center offers tips on the how, what and when of getting healthier in 2009.

Karen: What are the best things you can do for your health that are reasonable so we don’t overwhelm ourselves and fail before we ever get started …

Dr. DeShayzo: I think the most important point is to set realistic goals and be very reasonable. The major things that will really make a difference and have been proven in medical studies that increase your quality of life and length of life are - #1 – stop smoking. That used to be much harder to do than it is now. We have this new medicine called Chantix that actually works. #2 – Exercise.

Karen: What does exercise mean because to me it means getting on one of those bicycles …

Dr. DeShayzo:… and spending money and joining a health club … well, here’s the great news about that. Walking is fantastic and you don’t even have to walk that far. If you’ll walk three or four times a week for a little less than a mile you get a major cardiovascular affect from that that is measurable.

Karen: What kind of walking?

Dr. DeShayzo: There is a benefit from more strenuous exercise but it’s not a big difference. Simply walking is fine. If you can walk at a brisk pace, fine. But the difference in benefit from walking and walking at a fast pace is minimum. You get the benefit just from walking.

Karen: If you’re a sedentary person, should you start in small increments?

Dr. DeSyahzo: That would be my recommendation. Any kind of exercise program you start on, if you’re sore the next day, you don’t need to increase it until you’re no longer sore because that means your muscles are being toned up. Incremental increase is the way to go.

Karen: What about those who need to lose some weight?

Dr. DeShayzo: More good news. A fifteen percent decrease in weight reduction has major health benefits for people who are overweight.

Karen: How so?

Dr. DeShayzo: We don’t understand why such a little bit of weight loss makes such a big difference but it has effect on blood sugar, it improves your glucose tolerance, it decreases your blood pressure and so forth. Now, obviously, we’d like everybody to be to their ideal body weight but it’s very difficult for some people to do that and it takes a long time. So, just a little bit of portion control, cutting your portions in half and not trying to lose weight all at once. It’s a year-long project. That’s why it’s a great goal to have for the year.

Karen: Portion control rather than cutting out fat or carbs or one food group in particular?

Dr. DeShayzo: Dr. Rick’s diet is eat whatever you’re eating now, just eat less of it.

Karen: What does a person need to know about their own health; their own numbers?

Dr. DeShayzo: You need to know your own blood pressure because we know that a blood pressure greater than 120 over 80 is not good for you and will decrease your life span. Know your blood sugar. We know that when your blood sugar is up, there are things to do to bring it down without pills. You have to know you don’t have diabetes. You need to have a mammogram if you’re a female of an appropriate age. You need to know your cholesterol and you need to know your good and bad cholesterol levels.

Karen: What about a multi-vitamin? Will that make any difference in your lifestyle or health?

Dr. DeShayzo: So far as vitamins are concerned, there is no evidence that taking a multi-vitamin will make a big difference, but taking Vitamin D probably does. We’re recommending anyone over age 60 and most other people get at least 800 international units of Vitamin D a day. Most of us don’t get enough sun anymore and vitamin D is a very important vitamin so if I had to pick one vitamin it would be vitamin D and if you’re at risk for osteoporosis, you’re probably taking calcium and Vitamin D anyway.

Karen: People all around Mississippi are going to do something different in their lives. What is your number 1 recommendation?

Dr. DeShayzo: For people who don’t smoke, start an exercise program. Just about every disease is positively affected by exercise. Getting on a reasonable exercise program, even if it’s just walking would be my #1. Twenty minutes is the magic number. You have to do just about any exercise for 20 minutes to get a cardiac effect … twenty to thirty minutes of walking three times a week is a great place to start and most people who do that get to the point where they want to do more because they really feel better after they do it.