Boost your metabolism by eating a wholesome breakfast each day. This is just one of a few ways to rev up your calorie-burner. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
By Spectrum Health Beat Staff
Unfortunately, it’s true: Our metabolism slows down as we age.
On average, we lose 2 to 8 percent of our muscle mass per decade, and that slows our metabolic rate.
A recent article in U.S. News & World Report cites the importance of maintaining lean muscle to combat the decline.
“Strength training can help decrease this process, but adjusting your diet to eat less is also critical,” said Jill Graybill, a registered dietitian at Spectrum Health.
You can speed up your metabolism, but don’t be fooled by claims that popping a few supplements or eating certain foods will get the job done, Graybill cautioned.
“There is a lot of misinformation on this subject,” she said. “Most of it is smoke and mirrors.”
Genetics can give some people an edge, but the best way to increase your metabolism is to adopt a few good habits, including these:
1. Build resistance
Use resistance exercise to build more lean muscle mass. More muscle burns more calories, even at rest.
2. Eat breakfast
The morning meal has been shown to jump-start the metabolic process.
3. Eat every four hours
This little trick speeds up your metabolism. Skipping meals slows it down.
4. Think protein
Include protein each time you eat. It takes more energy to break down, again, revving up your metabolic rate. Sources include dairy, nuts, seeds, beans, eggs and meat. Plus, protein is slower to digest, so you feel full longer.
5. Eat enough
Yes, even while losing weight. A diet that is too low in calories slows your metabolism to a crawl. Don’t sabotage your efforts by eating too little. Most people should not go lower than 1,200 calories a day or they risk not meeting their nutritional needs. Only go lower if you’re under medical supervision.
He echoes the sentiment that cold weather is particularly tough on lungs and provided some of his top advice for how to stay active.
4 easy ways to help combat the wheeze:
1. Cover your mouth and breathe through your nose
Before heading outside make sure to cover your mouth with a scarf, turtleneck, neck gaiter or whatever you prefer. Covering you mouth helps warm up the outside air before it enters your lungs.
Dry and cold air is a prime trigger for airway narrowing, notes the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and focusing on warming and humidifying the air you breathe is key.
Breathing through your nose helps.
That may sound like a request from Ms. Manners, but breathing through your nose will help warm the air before it enters your lungs.
“We prefer that children stay active and involved in sports, even in the winter,” Dr. Schuen said.
He works with kids and teens who have cold-induced asthma to avoid issues when braving the outdoor temps. Sometimes that means suggesting the use of inhalers and medications “before going out into the cold Michigan winter.”
“This is in addition to covering your mouth with a scarf or face mask,” he added.
2. Take your exercise inside
Up to 90 percent of people with asthma encounter breathing difficulties while exercising. When you exercise, you generally breathe through your mouth, and the symptoms will only get worse if you’re breathing in cold or dry air.
For some people, this might include limiting activities like shoveling snow or playing outside in the winter months.
Consider taking your exercise indoors. Join a gym, invest in indoor exercise equipment, or learn some indoor routines that will keep you feeling great.
Definitely talk with your doctor about what you can do to prevent flareups while working out, such as warming up, pacing yourself, taking your medication prior to exercising, or the specific types of exercise you might want to consider. Sometimes short bursts of exercise or more leisurely exercise like walking or swimming work best.
3. Skip the cozy wood fires
We all know that cigarette smoke irritates asthma but did you know that fire smoke can have the same effect?
Wood smoke contains benzene, formaldehyde, acrolein and methane. Small particles from the smoke can lodge inside the lungs, sometimes deep, aggravating asthma and causing other breathing issues.
Gas fireplaces are a bit better, but they still release nitrogen dioxide, which can irritate the lungs.
Another note in this area: Make sure to replace your furnace filter and vacuum your indoor space frequently during the winter to keep allergens such as smoke particles, mold and pet dander low.
4. Keep germs at bay
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, as many as eight out of 10 asthma attacks in children and four out of 10 in adults are triggered by viral infections.
Between RSV, the common cold, and the flu, winter is rife with viral hurdles. Get vaccinations, when possible. Wash your hands frequently, use hand sanitizer frequently, and try to steer clear of those who are sneezing or coughing around you.
Sometimes an infection can’t be avoided, so if you start to fall ill, stay home and keep yourself well-hydrated. Talk with your doctor about when you should seek medical care, or consider a MedNow video appointment so you can get treatment while at home. Try to keep your cold from turning into something more serious.
By Spectrum Health Beat Staff; photos by Chris Clark
Imagine snoozing comfortably at home while your bed measures your heart rate and breathing—and enters those vital signs into your medical record.
Imagine tapping an app on your smartphone when you want to ask your doctor about a new symptom.
As health care technology gets smarter—and more personal—patients will find new ways to monitor their medical conditions and connect with medical experts.
Spectrum Health staff got a glimpse of products under development recently at an open house organized by Spectrum Health Innovations. Two companies involved in the Seamless Accelerator, a collaboration of startups and industry leaders, displayed their new devices to get reaction from the experts.
A bed that communicates
Hoana Medical, a Honolulu-based company, showed off its LifeBed system, a mattress coverlet embedded with sensors that measure vital signs. It detects heart and respiration rates—and can indicate whether the patient is in bed.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
Staff can view the data at a central nursing station or on a handheld device, such as a smartphone.
The device aims to eliminate the need to attach sensors, electrodes, cuffs and other monitoring equipment directly to the patient, said Edward Chen, president and chief operating officer of Hoana.
“I think in a med-surg world it could be beneficial to have this continuous monitoring available,” said Liz Schulte, an inpatient nursing supervisor at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital.
A rise in breathing or heart rate could indicate a patient is experiencing more pain, for example, prompting the nurse to check in. Or it might signal that a confused patient is becoming agitated, perhaps planning to get out of bed to use the bathroom.
“We can go in there and proactively act on that,” Schulte said. “A bed alarm is good only once a patient gets out of bed.”
The smartphone connection would be a big plus, she added. It would allow a nurse to view vital signs for a number of patients from any location.
The LifeBed system plugs directly into the wall, but also can operate wirelessly.
“It simplifies the process of having to move monitors,” Chen said. “It has been tested in ambulances and helicopters. Imagine deploying it for large-scale emergency triage on stretchers.”
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
The version displayed at Spectrum Health is intended for use in the medical-surgical, acute care or home care settings. A steady stream of nurses, doctors and therapists filed through the two-hour open house. Some tried out apps and lay on the LifeBed, watching their vital signs appear on a smartphone screen.
“I really thought the vital sign communication with electronic capability was great,” said Laura McPherson, pediatric lead therapist in respiratory care at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
The system would be even better, she said, if it could be converted to a hardback surface, which would be useful in reviving a patient in cardiac arrest.
“This could be the total package,” she said.
A doctor-patient app
Friendly Health Technologies of San Ramon, California, presented information on software and apps that connect patients with their doctor or other medical care providers.
Patients could log in to the app on a tablet or smartphone to report common illnesses.
The app asks a series of follow-up questions, using evidence-based guidelines, and enters the information into the individual’s medical record. The physician or care provider can then prescribe medication or request a face-to-face visit.
The company would adapt the software for different medical specialties, tweaking the questions to match the issues patients are likely to report.
“I’d like to see it in action,” Ginny Richards, a Spectrum Health Medical Group nurse educator, said of the telemedicine app. “It might have good potential for families that are reluctant to call.”
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum Health Beat
Customer validation is “an absolute necessity in product development,” said Brent Mulder, PhD, senior director of Spectrum Health Innovations. “If they get that extremely valuable feedback, it can validate their current course of action or cause a course correction.”
Spectrum Health is one of seven partners in the Seamless Accelerator, a collaboration that gives entrepreneurs access to industry expertise while offering experts the chance to influence the direction of next-generation devices.
About enhancing health
The evolving health care technology field encompasses a number of user-friendly apps and gadgets in development that will make it easier for patients to stay on top of their health care, said Eric Topol, MD, the author of several books, including “The Patient Will See You Now: The Future of Medicine is in Your Hands.”
They include:
A bandage that monitors how a wound is healing and delivers medication when needed
A ring that detects when a patient is asleep or awake and can be used in at-home sleep studies
A tiny device that measures blood sugar levels—without a needle poke or drop of blood. Someday, Dr. Topol predicts, “Fingersticks for glucose will be obsolete.”
Already on the market is an ear scope that attaches to a smartphone. When parents suspect their child has an ear infection, they can capture a video of the inside of the child’s ears and send it to the doctor for diagnosis.
Consumer-focused “on-demand medicine” can mean more efficient care, Topol said at a recent speaking engagement. Research shows the average wait for a doctor’s appointment is 2.6 weeks. And once they arrive at the office, patients wait, on average, 61 minutes.
By communicating electronically with their doctor or running basic tests with their smart phone, patients can save time and often rest comfortably at home when they aren’t feeling well.
“It’s really about enhancing the health of humans,” he said.
Learn more about new forms of health care technology at Spectrum Health Innovations and to learn about e-doctor appointments, visit the MedNow website or call 844.322.7374.
