Think Beyond Eating and Exercising

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Think fast - what are the two things we’re told we have to do in order to live a healthy lifestyle?

Eat right and get regular exercise! That’s pretty much the message we’re constantly bombarded with from doctors, concerned family members, food advertisers on TV, and gym billboards along the New Jersey Turnpike. Well, the podiatrists at Monmouth County’s Affiliated Foot & Ankle Center are here to tell you that you should do those two things at a minimum.

We’d like to suggest these five additional, crucial elements to staying healthy this summer and beyond:

  1. Stay hydrated. Reach for a clear, cool glass of H2O even before you feel thirsty, especially if you’ve been working or playing outside in hot weather. Drinking water is especially important for the elderly. Did you know that, as you age, your perception of when you’re thirsty diminishes? To help keep all your body’s cells working at their best, fill a 64-oz water bottle in the morning and drink it all by the end of the day.
     
  2. Protect your skin from sunburn. Each time you burn your skin puts you a step closer to the possibility of skin cancer. So be sure to wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 when you’re out in the sun. Re-apply it every 2-3 hours and after swimming. Don’t overlook your feet when slathering up! Read more about how your feet are just as susceptible to skin cancer as the rest of your body in another recent blog entry.
     
  3. Drink alcohol in moderation.  Too much alcohol can be toxic to your body’s nervous system. In terms of your feet, alcoholic neuropathy - nerve damage that causes foot tingling, numbness, and loss of feeling - can strike the heavy drinker. Alcohol is also linked to attacks of gout in the toes.
     
  4. Stop smoking. You know that smoking is linked to emphysema and lung cancer - but it also prematurely ages your skin, thins your bones, and can cause peripheral arterial disease in your legs and feet.
     
  5. Make and keep your doctor appointments. Check in regularly with your primary care physician and others like your gynecologist for total women’s health and your dermatologist for full body-checks. For total foot care and alleviation of foot pain, visit our board-certified podiatrists Dr. Samantha Boyd, Dr. Hal Ornstein, or Dr. Joseph Saka at our offices in Howell or Jackson, NJ. Contact us online or give us a call at (732) 905-1110.