Sacred Heart - Inspiring Health

5 S TJ O E S C H I P FA L L S . C O M To make an appointment with a HSHS Sacred Heart Family Care provider, call 608.323.1500 for appointments in Arcadia and 715.597.3131 for appointments in Osseo. For HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital, visit stjoeschipfalls.com/our_physicians. Rethink Your Routine We all know the go-to rule for healthy exercise habits: set a goal of 30 minutes a day. What we may not think about is the benefit of staying active after those 30 minutes are up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise per week, in addition to two or more days of anaerobic or strength-focused exercise. When thinking of how to balance those goals with your busy schedule, exercise can seem like a daunting chore. Luckily, there is a new go-to rule: keep your body in motion. Look for opportunities throughout your day to stay active, whether taking the stairs, walking in the mall or around the block with the dog, or playing with the kids in the yard. Adding cycling or swimming also helps vary an exercise routine. "Get moving!" says Jill Hasenberg, DO, Family Medicine Physician at HSHS Medical Group – Family Health Associates. "Ideally, we should all be exercising five to six days per week. If you are not doing this, talk with your provider on how to start— i.e., starting a walking program three days per week and increasing the frequency as tolerated." For help getting moving, visit GOChippewaValley.com. "Patients like the numbers, because they are considered 'definitive' benchmarks," says Peter Kluge, DO, Eau Claire Medical Clinic. "That can lead to a false sense of security. One of the benefits of taking the numbers out of the discussion is that it puts the onus on the patient to take charge of his or her health." BACKING AWAY FROM THE LINE The most important point of the borderline area is that even though you may be close to a high-risk diagnosis, you can still prevent chronic illness. Through lifestyle changes, such as exercise, a healthy diet, and stress management, you can lessen your risk of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and obesity. "I like to talk with my patients about their numbers that are 'borderline,' as this is the time to act," says Jill Hasenberg, DO, Family Medicine Physician at HSHS Medical Group – Family Health Associates . "If patients are able to make the lifestyle changes needed at that time, they are doing so much to improve their health and avoid the potential complications that come along with having heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes." Dr. Kluge recommends avoiding a sedentary lifestyle—which can lead to vascular inflammation through the build-up of plaque in the arteries—and continuing to be active even after your daily exercise. Reducing portion sizes and the amount of bread, pasta, and red meat you eat are also beneficial. While a Mediterranean diet—meals made up mostly of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains—is the healthiest for the heart, Dr. Kluge advises focusing on small and steady adjustments rather than dramatic and sudden changes. In addition, think of your family care provider as a partner. Dr. Hasenberg recommends scheduling yearly preventive checkups and using those visits as an opportunity to discuss your risk of chronic illness and what it means if you are in the borderline area. "We want to see a gradual process of re-evaluation and reassessments," Dr. Kluge says. "When patients try to be healthy overall, that's when they are more successful in the long-term."

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