BE HEALTHY

Your Path to Great Health in Michigan

While food is certainly necessary to keep the body going, it is insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, that provides the link between food and energy the cells can use. But type 2 diabetes disrupts this link. Normally, the body breaks down the sugars and starches from food into glucose, and insulin takes glucose from the blood into the body's cells.

With type 2 diabetes, glucose cannot enter the body's cells because insulin levels are too low, or insulin is just not recognized. In either case, this disruption causes blood glucose levels to skyrocket to dangerous levels.

Continue reading "The Truth Behind Type 2 Diabetes" »

It's the end of another long day at work and the last thing you want to do is work out. You've got a million things on your mind, not to mention your favorite TV show is coming on soon. Even the thought of changing clothes for a run or walk seems challenging.

In the battle with fatigue, people often seek a quick fix, from sports drinks or energy bars to frequent trips to the nearest Starbucks. But the best solution to your energy shortage may lie in the tennis shoes collecting dust in your closet.

Continue reading "Get an energy boost from exercise" »

When you're targeting the cardiovascular system — running, biking, pumping on an elliptical trainer — the length of exercise time, as well as the pace, are two key elements. Once you've mustered up the motivation for this intense exercise, what's the next step? Should you go for a lengthy endurance workout, at a constant speed? Or should you move quickly and last for less time, focusing on speed?

The answer is both, according to local fitness experts. Pumping bursts of speed into your cardio workout challenges your muscles and gives your body something it doesn't expect. Michelle Woods, owner of Michelle's Aerobics, Fitness and Personal Training, suggests adding speed to cardio regimens in intervals. A basic example is one minute at a quick pace, then one to two minutes of walking to bring the intensity back down, then repeat.

Continue reading "Ditch the same pace, and pump up the speed" »

For some, the idea of eating garlic at a meal can't be tolerated, often because of the zesty aftertaste that doesn't seem to go away. But before nongarlic lovers eliminate the herb from their diets, they may want to reconsider.

"Garlic should really be in everybody's regimen," says Pam Gage, personal wellness coach at NutritionWorks, 209 E. Washington Ave, Suite 201. "By eating garlic daily, your body gets what it needs."

Continue reading "Try to find the good in garlic" »

In his book "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth," Dr. Jonny Bowden presents a colorful and detailed list of what should be in our diets. Bowden keenly breaks down the science-speak from research and health experts' opinions to highlight the benefits of each food in an understandable way.

In Jackson, it's easy to track down some of these nutritional stand-outs. Michigan growers are top producers of many food items on Bowden's list. Including these foods in your diet will help support local agriculture while giving you a nutritional boost.

Continue reading "150 Healthiest Foods on Earth" »

Trying to find a model for perfect posture is not easy. Slouching at the computer during a long day is bound to happen, and we're all guilty of failing to sit up straight at a desk or table. In the long term, poor posture can have negative health consequences.

Poor posture can affect people in many professions, says Dr. Kevin Homer of Jackson Family Chiropractic, 2319 W. Main St. From computer operators to dental hygienists to factory workers, anyone who has to bend over throughout the day is at risk of poor posture.

Continue reading "Be straight about sitting up" »

It may seem like you've always been in a state of testing: spelling tests, driving tests, school tests. But how are you doing on your health tests? Are you keeping up with your check-ups, or are you lagging behind? The list of tests and medical check-ups recommended for women only seems to grow as time passes, and it's easy to let some tests slip through the cracks.

Here's a rundown of the basic preventative health tests for women, what age to take them and when to take care of them, as recommended by Allegiance Health.

Continue reading "Testing 1-2-3: Critical tests for women" »

Bottled water is wildly popular because of the filtered quality and convenience of being able to grab one and go. But after the water is gone, the plastic container is often tossed, adding to the mass amount of water bottles thrown away every year.

Power Bottle U.S.A. came around just in time, combining a sense of eco-consciousness with the quality of bottled water. Their newest line of water bottles, with carbon-activated filters, now brings in about 85 percent of the Madison Heights-based company's sales, says Joe Star, the national sales manager.

Continue reading "Product: The Power of Power Bottles" »

Weekly, bi-weekly and monthly calendar of events.

Continue reading "October-November calendar" »

As the dental director at the Center for Family Health Dental Office, and the vice president of the American Dental Association, Dr. Jane Grover has both local and national resources to improve dental care at her fingertips. But simply making her dental office better is not enough. Grover wants to make proper dental care a priority for everyone in Jackson.

With the help of Delta Dental, Grover, a 54-year-old Summit Township resident, produced a dental health video targeting teens in 2007, and she won the Community Mini-Grant of the Year Award for her promotional work. Her office, at 817 W. High St., is the only dental facility in Jackson County to accept new Medicaid patients. The office offers drop-in appointments on Tuesdays for extra convenience. And the dental clinic at the Teen Health Center at the Middle School at Parkside, 2400 Fourth St., is another part of the effort to make Jackson residents of all ages more dedicated to dentistry.

Grover sat down with BHJ to share how she's using her expertise to spread the message of how valuable a healthy mouth truly is.

Continue reading "Proper dental care is Dr. Jane Grover's passion" »

Body Mass Index (BMI) is one number that is supposed to spell out quite a bit about your health. Take your height and weight, do some figuring according to the BMI formula, and boom! You've got a number that carries a lot of weight with doctors, nutritionists and other health experts. But how much stock should you really put in this value?

The BMI system has been used since around the 1830s as an indicator for health, says Brandon Mitchell, a health educator at Allegiance Health's Department for Prevention and Community Health.

Continue reading "BMI: What it is and how it plays into healthy living" »

With warm weather outside, we all want to get a little bit of that sunshine. This time of year is especially conducive for family gatherings, picnics or impromptu sports games — not just to take advantage of the weather, but to run around a little bit.

For the seasoned athlete, the importance of stretching before any kind of physical activity is nothing new. But some of us have been on the bench for a while, and forgetting to stretch can result in soreness, achy muscles or injury. Stretching allows taut muscles to relax, enabling you to move more freely and easily during a game of tag or touch football.

Continue reading "Enjoy outside activity only after stretching" »

If you're an avid BHJ reader, you know this is not the face that usually leads off the magazine. Lynsy Smithson-Stanley decided to attend graduate school, and I've done the reverse, graduating from Michigan State University and moving into the working world. I'm trying to fill the shoes of an excellent editor for a remarkable publication that takes on one of my biggest interests: health and fitness. Continue reading "New editor excited to get settled in" »

The push-up. It's been on every fitness test checklist and is recognized as a true mark of strength. We know push-ups tone your chest, abs and shoulders. They are pretty straightforward, and don't require any expensive equipment. The problem? Push-ups are dull, dull, dull.

First, let's focus on the basics. According to Shane Brogan, a personal trainer at Snap Fitness, 1527 Horton Road, hands should be a bit wider than shoulder width in the basic push-up position.

Continue reading "How to perk up your push-ups" »

We all know water is important when you're exercising. But when you're concentrating on a workout routine, water isn't exactly the main focus. And when we do feel we're thirsty, it's often too late to replace much of what we've already lost. According to Amy Chamberlain, sports medicine director for Orthopaedic Rehab Specialists, P.C., 206 Page Ave., the cues that trigger thirst lag behind the point when dehydration occurs, so you feel thirsty when you're already dehydrated.

Problems with a lack of hydration can extend far beyond that uncomfortable cotton-mouth feeling. Dehydration can lead to heat exhaustion, cramps or heat stroke, which can be fatal. With the start of fall sports activity, here's a reminder to listen to your body and keep drinking that H2O.

Continue reading "In the heat, keep the juices flowing" »