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Running the Run
The CVC is full of runners and health enthusiasts, just to name a few...Aaronson, Dyke, Bach, Larin, Prager, and others of you. Please share your wellness stories with us. How do you stay fit?
When it comes to realizing
the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,
there is a pack of CVC members who are
doing more than walking the walk … they
are running the run. In fact, some are
logging more than 50 miles a week.
"It didn’t start out this way. At first, I just started walking, and
then walking more and more until I was running," says CVC cardiologist A.
David Goldberg, M.D., 60, who typically runs more than five days a week. "It
gives me a good feeling. It’s sort of an addiction. Now, if I don’t
run for a couple of days, I start to feel crumby."
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Cardiologist Sharlene Day,
M.D., 36, understands. "It just clears
your mind. You feel so good afterward," says
Day, who ran competitively throughout grade
school and college. Nowadays, she runs
for so-called "fun", including
in an infamous annual race known as "Dances
with Dirt."
"Dances with Dirt" is described as "the longest and most grueling
running event in the Midwest," and it is a challenge that has lured many
CVC runners. According to Sarah Meyers, 29, a dietitian in Preventive Cardiology,
the event lives up to more than its name.
"I always end up covered in dirt and poison ivy, but it’s the best
day ever," says Meyers, who used to hate running, but competed in "Dances
with Dirt" and recently ran across the state of Michigan in a fundraiser
for the Michigan Special Olympics.
What keeps these people moving?
Well, there are many commonalities. Faced
with a high-energy world, most describe
the benefits of being able to burn off
stress and be alone with their thoughts.
However, there is also a social connection
that bonds them.
"Runners are good people," says cardiologist Eric Bates, 55, who also
keeps a humorous, yet pragmatic attitude about this activity. "Besides,
it’s a way of stalling the aging process, and it allows me to eat more
ice cream," he says.
Want to get a grip on your weight and lead a healthier lifestyle?
MFit’s weight management program,
called Healthy Habits for Life, provides
individual guidance and tools for developing
healthy eating and physical activity habits,
and support for overcoming psychological
barriers. The program includes group
orientation, one-on-one consultations with
a registered dietitian and a health and
fitness specialist, pre- and post-fitness
assessments (for cholesterol, blood pressure,
body measurements, weight, aerobic capacity,
strength and flexibility) and much more.
Based on results of past participants:
- Seventy-nine percent lost weight (an average of 10 pounds)
- Ninety-nine percent lost inches (an average of seven inches)
- Sixty-seven percent became more active.
For more information: call (734) 975-3050, email mfit-weight-management@med.umich.edu or visit www.med.umich.edu/mfit/programs/weight/.
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