Taking our pulse
Oh, my achin’ feet
April is National Foot Health Awareness Month. Studies show that 75 percent of Americans will have some sort of foot problem in their lives.
One of the key ways to avoid those problems is to wear sensible shoes, something altogether unlike you might see on an episode of, say, Sex and the City. Here are some tips for keeping your tootsies comfortable:
- Measure your feet before
buying shoes, as your feet may
get wider with age.
- Soft, flexible uppers will better
match the shape of your foot.
- Soles should provide good
traction.
- Thick soles lessen the pressure
on hard surfaces such as
concrete and tile flooring.
- Low-heeled shoes present less
risk of injury and discomfort
than high-heeled shoes.
— Adapted from the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Web site
Is your handbag a health hazard?
Three million women a year suffer from shoulder pain that lands them in an orthopedic surgeon’s office. The culprit? Possibly their purses.
Women carry an average of 13 pounds in shoulder bags, according to Marilyn Moffat, a professor of physical therapy at New York University. If you’re going to keep doing that — and we know you are — here are some ways to prevent shoulder injuries:
- Purge the excess. Clean out your
bag regularly. That’s right, the
umbrella, those magazines, and
that apple you promised to eat a
couple of weeks ago.
- Carry equally weighted bags on
each shoulder. You will stand
straighter. Your neck and
shoulders won’t be compromised.
If you don’t want to double your
purse pleasure, try switching the
one bag from shoulder to
shoulder.
- Adjust the strap. Most women
hold onto the strap, and if it’s too
short, the weight will be on your
chest, pulling on your shoulder
and neck. Also, a broader strap
will distribute the weight over a
wider area of your shoulder.
— Adapted from Good Housekeeping
When it’s always allergy season …
Perhaps a runny nose, watery eyes, and the constant urge to sneeze don’t come around only a couple of times a year for you. Maybe it’s the family cat or dog, not hay fever, that keeps you suffering 24/7, 365 days a year.
Pet allergies can take more than two years to develop and may not go away until six months after you end contact with your furry friend. But if it’s the family pet and you prefer to keep it around, here are some tips for successful cohabitation:
- Keep pets out of the bedrooms.
- Wash your pets weekly.
- Brush your pets frequently.
- Keep pets off furniture.
- Remove carpets where possible.
As a last resort, if your allergies are greatly interfering with your life, consider finding your pet a new home.
— Adapted from the AllHealth Web site
Where the buffalo roam …
Although it’s a bit tricky to find, buffalo meat is healthier and typically leaner than ordinary beef, according to some health experts. The biggest reason is, of course, diet. While cows are fed grain, most bison graze on grasses. Translated: Buffalo meat is much lower in saturated fat and higher in omega-3, a food source highly recommended by the American Heart Association.
— Adapted from WebMD
Hunger pangs
Did you know that …?
The average American will eat 35,000 cookies during his or her lifespan.
Nabisco uses more than 37 million pounds of chocolate a year to make Chips Ahoy!® cookies. That’s the equivalent of one solid 8-ounce chocolate bunny for every kid in America.
The average American’s diet consists of 55 percent junk food.
More than 70 percent of all bagel shops in the United States are found in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and California.
— Adapted from UselessTrivia.com