Berkshire County Health Experts Prescribe Exercise
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Millions of people follow their doctor's advice to take medicines but far too many disregard blanket advice issued by the American College Sports Association and the American Heart Association regarding exercise: All healthy adults need moderate intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes on five days of the week (cycling, walking briskly, swimming, dancing, bicycling, for instance, are considered moderate intensity aerobic activity.) Despite efforts to raise awareness of the importance of exercise, more than 250,000 deaths in the United States every year are attributable to lack of physical activity/exercise. Medical experts, however, have never stopped searching for ways to motivate people to take advantage of the benefits of regular exercise.
"Exercise is not only a critical component in cardiovascular health, but is good for general health," said Dr. Ellis M. Fribush in a recent interview with iBerkshires. "You do not have to be a marathon runner. Do what you like to do walk, jog ... so you will stick to it." Then he added, "Get your heart rate up to 120."
Fribush, a cardiologist with Pittsfield Medical Associates, has been writing exercise prescriptions for his patients on a cardiac program long before the concept became popularized a few years ago.
Dr. Edward M. Phillips founder and director of Harvard's Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, wrote about the benefits of exercise as a medicine and the use of prescriptions to encourage people to be physically active.
"A prescription would help change people's attitude about exercise. It would prompt them to think of exercise as a medicine that everyone should take," Phillips is quoted as saying in an Octocber 2008 article published in Club Business International, the world's leading magazine for the fitness and health industry.
Phillips serves on the American College of Sports Medicine task force that developed and leads Exercise Is Medicine, a nonprofit initiative launched by the ACSM and AHA in 2007. Exercise is Medicine calls on doctors to consider physical activity as a vital sign in every patient's visit and to write an exercise prescription, based on an assessment of the patient's health.
Rewards of exercising include a reduction in body weight, a reduction in blood pressure, a reduction in bad (LDL) and total cholesterol, and an increase in good (HDL) cholesterol and an increase in insulin sensitivity.
"Diabetics can control the disease through exercise as it burns off sugar," said Fribush. "Exercise has emotional value, too. When you work out you have a feeling of accomplishment."
Studies show that exercise stimulates brain chemicals that elevate our mood. The negative emotions we store can be wiped away, and we feel more relaxed than when we began a workoutAnyone who is going to start a strenuous exercise program should consult a physician before hand, Fribush warned. And if people have been sedentary for a long period of time, they should check with a doctor before starting any exercise regime.
North Adams Regional Hospital dietician Rita Longworth is an avid skier and snowshoer, and likes to run in any season. "I like anything I can do outside," said Longworth. "I just bundle up in the winter."
Besides dressing appropriately, it is important for winter sports people to not forget about hydration. "(In the cold environment) they don't get thirsty," said Longworth, "but because they are bundled up and are expending energy, they sweat and lose fluid.
"People don't want to pull off their mittens or gloves to take a drink," Longworth continued. She uses a CamelBak hydration backpack, which allows her to take liquids without needing to hold a container.
It is also important to eat before exercising, said Longworth. “If you don't, you may experience low blood sugar, which can cause weakness and dizziness."
Because a pre-exercise meal should have a balance of carbohydrates and protein, Longworth suggests that people who exercise in early morning, first eat whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and honey or oatmeal and nuts.
People who do not want to venture outdoors to exercise when the weather is anything other than mild may decide to join a health club to stay fit throughout the year.
"There definitely is an increase in clients during winter months," said Dianna Harrington, a personal trainer at Berkshire Nautilus health club in Pittsfield for 22 years. "Some (of those clients) are skiers and snowshoers. They come for conditioning."
Harrington consults with clients in their initial visit and figures out what their needs are. "All clients must fill out a health survey so we will be aware of any health issues," she said.
For a cardiovascular workout, clients are assigned to treadmills, exercise bikes, elliptical machines and steppers. "Some like to row," Harrington mentioned. "We keep an eye on the clients and can see their progress better than they do so we point that out to them to encourage them to see the value of fitness."
During a "Biggest Loser Challenge" at Berkshire Nautilus, Harrington worked with several groups. "In my opinion, especially women are used to looking at the scale to assess their progress," Harrington said. "What they see makes or breaks their day."
Then she explained that when you exercise you develop more muscle mass while losing fat, so you may not see a change on the scale. However, since body fat is denser than muscle, you can lose inches. One client in the competition, dropped several dress sizes, going from a size 16 to a size 12, Harrington recalled. Ian Valiton, personal trainer at Planet Fitness in Pittsfield, finds that clients virtually make it unnecessary to perform one facet of his job.
"A personal trainer's job is to encourage the clients, but the majority of our clients are enthusiastic — they have a goal," Valiton said.
A client he is currently working with is exercising to lose weight. A 50-year-old client wants to work his back and shoulders so he will be able to shoot his bow and arrow.
"A group of ladies who come to exercise together are in good health, have good mobility and like to work and push themselves," Valiton said. "I want them to feel good not overworked when they finish."
Of working with a client who came with a lot of back issues and is now able to do things she couldn't do before without discomfort, Valiton said, "It's rewarding."
