Archive for the ‘Advice’ Category

BE WELL BOOT CAMP PREVIEW: I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO START RUNNING—BUT WHERE DO I BEGIN?

Ross Martinson, co-owner of Philadelphia Runner, will talks about how to conquer your first 5K.

Posted by Justin Krajeski on 5/22/2013 at 12:00PM | No Comments


Broad Street’s just three weeks behind us, but a lot of runners are already thinking about next year. If you caught the running bug but have no idea where to begin, not to worry: Philadelphia Runner‘s Ross Martinson will at Be Well Boot Camp on June 8th to talk about how to go from your very first run to the finish line. He’ll also be on hand at the Moss Rehab Running Clinic, where he’ll work with doctors to give you one-on-0ne pointers about your mechanics, form and more.

Peep a few of Ross’s running insights below, and make sure to catch him at the “Conquer Your First 5K: A Running Primer” talk at Be Well Boot Camp. Get all you running questions answered—finally!

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EXPERT ADVICE: 8 EASY WAYS TO LIVE GREEN AND HEALTHY

Take care of yourself while taking care of the planet—it can be done!

Posted by Gavin McKay on 5/21/2013 at 4:03PM | No Comments

We know it sounds too good to be true—doing something good for yourself and for the environment—but with these eight easy ways to live healthy and green, you can get double the results for your efforts and feel great about your choices, too.

1. Walk or Bike to Work

The average commute time in the U.S. is 25 minutes—ick. That’s a whole lot of sitting in a car, bus or train. Combining low-impact exercise with your commute builds movement and stress relief into your daily routine while reducing energy usage and vehicle emissions. If you live close enough to work to commute by bike, the value of all the stress, pollution, sitting and expense that are avoided by not using a car and dealing with traffic is priceless. There’s no smarter good-for-you, good-for-the-planet two-fer.

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BE WELL BOOT CAMP PREVIEW: HOW CAN I BOOST MY SEX DRIVE NATURALLY?

Get your sex questions answered by Dr. Reina Marino and other experts at Be Well Boot Camp.

Posted by Lindsey Murray on 5/15/2013 at 12:26PM | No Comments

Food and sex—they’re our two favorite things (am I right?), and Reina Marino, an MD and integrative-lifestyle-medicine expert, is bringing them together for a workshop at Be Well Boot Camp. It’s all about how to boost your sex drive naturally—through diet, exercise, et al. But since it’s sometimes a tad embarrassing to ask the nitty gritty questions about sex, we talked to Reina to get the ball rolling and find out how to avoid between-the-sheets awkwardness and boost your sex life naturally.

Check out the Q&A below, and get your tickets for Be Well Boot Camp to hear more from Reina and other experts! She’s part of our “Food and Sex” panel at noon.

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ANGELINA JOLIE’S DOUBLE MASTECTOMY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU’RE CONSIDERING THE PROCEDURE

I talked to Einstein Montgomery's breast-surgery chief to find out more about BRCA testing and preventative mastectomies.

Posted by Emily Leaman on 5/14/2013 at 1:18PM | 1 Comment

I’m sure by now you’ve read Angelina Jolie’s op-ed , which appeared in the New York Times this morning, about her decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy. To recap: The actress’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer back in 2007, so Jolie decided to get tested to see if she carries a gene mutation that would increase her risk for both breast and ovarian cancer. Turns out, she does.

Jolie learned that since she carries the BRCA1 mutation, she has a 50 percent risk of developing ovarian cancer and an 87 percent risk (!) for developing breast cancer. That’s why back in February, she began the process of undergoing preventative double mastectomy, which included a nipple-sparing procedure, mastectomy and reconstruction—all of which she was able to keep private.

But she decided to speak out about it now, she writes, “because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.”

This morning, I spoke with Jennifer Simmons, chief of breast surgery and director of the Women’s Center at Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, about who should get tested for BRCA mutations, what the medical treatment entails, and what Angelina Jolie and others can expect post-op.

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10 PIMPED-OUT BIKE ACCESSORIES FOR NATIONAL BIKE TO WORK WEEK

With Bike to Work Day this week, we've got the ultimate list of cycling gear swag to get you in the spirit. Hold on to your helmets!

Posted by Justin Krajeski on 5/13/2013 at 2:13PM | No Comments

For those who aren’t hip to all of the funky holidays that crop up on the calendar throughout the year, guess what? This week is National Bike to Work Week, and Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 17th. Back in 1956, the Cycle Trade Association of America announced the first-ever Bike Month, with a goal of promoting bicycle sales. It’s a little different now: Today, the festivities center around encouraging safe bicycling practices and promoting cycling as a viable commuting alternative.

So, we thought, what better way to celebrate Bike Month, Bike Week, and/or Bike Day than by picking a few swaggy accessories to pimp out your two-wheel ride? After all, what better way to get you to ride your bike more than by tricking it out with fun new toys?

And so we give you: 10 Pimped-Out Bicycle Accessories. Happy biking!

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HOW TO PLANT A VEGETABLE GARDEN: A GUIDE FOR THE GREEN-THUMB IMPAIRED

We talked PHS's Sally McCabe to find out how to unleash your inner green thumb this summer.

Posted by Lindsey Murray on 5/13/2013 at 1:17PM | 2 Comments

Fact #1: there’s nothing better than enjoying freshly grown produce from your backyard on a relaxing summer night. Fact #2: achieving a garden that yields anything resembling edible produce is harder than it looks. I should know—I have the world’s least green thumb. Even still, year after year I find myself investing in the latest gardening gear, promising myself that this time it’s going to be a success. (Sigh. It never is.)

That’s why this year I decided to take things up a notch by reaching out to a local expert to get some professional tips. I talked to Sally McCabe from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to get real answers to all the nitty gritty questions of vegetable gardening. Check out what she has to say below, and mark my words, Be Wellers, 2013 will be the year of my first flourishing vegetable garden.

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THE CHECKUP: HOW TO GET THE PERFECT FIT FOR RUNNING SHOES

Finally!

Posted by Emily Leaman on 5/10/2013 at 7:30AM | No Comments

• As my blistered, post-Broad Street feet can attest, I have wonky size issues when it comes to running shoes. And believe me, my feet have been worse—much worse. A few years ago, I ran a half marathon and crossed the finish line limping. I had no idea why—my bones and muscles and whatnot felt fine—until I took off my shoe and saw a sock soaked with blood. The shoe had rubbed part of my ankle raw and had created a wicked blood blister on my toe that popped at some point near the finish line. In a nutshell, it was not pretty. While I still get blisters every now and then (like, right now), my feet are far better off than they were a few years ago. Why? Because I finally got better-fitting shoes. As this super useful post on Women’s Health points out, you want shoes that are at least a half-size bigger than your normal, everyday shoes. In fact, I’ve figured out that a full size bigger works best for me. The reason is that your feet swell when you run, so you need extra space to account for it. Head over to WH to find more good-fit tips for running sneaks.

• This may be the mother of all recipe roundups: Greatist’s “400+ Healthy Recipes (That Won’t Break the Bank).” These recipes literally cover all your bases—from breakfasts to dinners to snacks to desserts—and use eight ingredients or fewer. Get them here.

• Have you been wondering what might happen to the make-shift memorials in Boston that cropped up after the marathon bombings? Runner’s World reports that items like posters, running shoes and more will be preserved and made part of a permanent memorial for the victims. More here.

Photo: Shutterstock

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BE WELL BOOT CAMP PREVIEW: HOW CAN I KEEP MY ENERGY UP ALL DAY LONG?

Philly dietician Krista Yoder Latortue will talk about keeping your energy high as a kite at Boot Camp. She gave us a sneak peak at her very best tips.

Posted by Lindsey Murray on 5/8/2013 at 1:55PM | No Comments

Being a struggling coffee addict, I’ve been searching for a way to naturally energize for years. So imagine my excitement when I found out that dietician Krista Yoder Latortue was scheduled to appear at this year’s Be Well Boot Camp to talk about tips for keeping energy levels sky high all day long. To give you a little sneak peak, I chatted with Krista about some of her favorite tricks for turbo boosting energy.

Check out her tips below, then join Krista and other amazing experts at the “Have More Energy” panel at  10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Boot Camp. See you on June 8th!

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RUN WITH THE BIG DOGS: THE BEST RUNNING DOGS

Your favorite new running partner has four legs. Here, the top dogs for your preferred distance.

Posted by Justin Krajeski on 5/2/2013 at 11:02AM | No Comments


Every runner has his or her favorite accessories, but maybe none so animate and encouraging as the right dog. As an expert on man’s furriest friend, certified master groomer (and Best of Philly 2010 winner) Jennifer Lavelle gave me a run-down of the top dogs for your preferred distance.

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WHY YOU SHOULDN’T OBSESS OVER THE NUMBER ON THE SCALE

Step away from the scale, people. It's not the only thing that matters in weight loss.

Posted by Brian Maher on 4/30/2013 at 2:28PM | No Comments


Everybody has a morning ritual. Some wake up and have their coffee as they listen to the birds sing. Others turn on the news as they iron their clothes. But those who struggle with their weight tend to have the same old routine: You wake up, go to the bathroom, get on the scale. Does this sound like you?

“Oh no, I actually GAINED weight!” you think to yourself. “This can’t be right, let me try again.” So you step off the scale and try again only to see the same result. “Maybe if I move the scale over it’ll be better. This tile looks uneven.” But the scale reads the same number yet again, and your day is off to a not-so-great start.

If this sounds like you, I have some good news: You don’t need to step on the scale to see results. The number on the scale is only a fraction of the story.

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