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Although I have completed a few half marathons I occasionally walk for exercise. I feel that walking is an underrated form of exercise. Many diseases that affect people today both physical and mental can be warded off with the help of daily walking. Cardiovascular workouts should be incorporated into everyone’s daily activities but the type and intensity of the workout should be modified to meet each person’s capabilities. Read the 6 health benefits below to get your motivated to start your walking routine.

1. Diabetes

According to the CDC more than 100 million Americans have Diabetes. Studies have shown that walking benefits both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics by aiding in glucose control. In one study of 201 type 2 diabetics, each participant added 2,600 steps to their daily activity and had an average of 0.2% decrease in their Hemoglobin A1c. Diabetes Care also published an article that pre-diabetics can reduce their chances of developing the disease by just walking for 20 minutes daily.

1. Heart disease

Heart disease is a large category of conditions that plague the function of the heart. Some symptoms of heart disease include shortness of breath, chest pain, irregular heart beats and more. A Harvard Medical School study showed that walking reduced the occurrence of heart disease by 30% by including 2.5 hours of walking a week.

1. Joint pain

Joint pain often happens because of arthritis, which is inflammation in the joint. Walking builds muscle and this helps to support the joints relieving some of the pressure and pain. Additionally, with movement in the joints the synovial fluid is able to move around the joint surfaces to lubricate and nourish the area. Using your joints through exercise also protects the bone density, the bone density increases to meet the demands of the workout.

1. Cancer

The American Cancer Society published a study that there was a 14% reduction in breast cancer diagnosis for those who walked 7 or more hours a week versus their less active counterparts. A second study completed by Harvard University assessed women who walked 3 to 5 hours a week were 54% less likely to end up with breast or uterine cancer.

5. Immune support

Do you want fewer sick days? Taking up walking during the week for a minimum of 20 minutes will leave you with 43% fewer sick days in comparison to those exercising once a week or less. Research from Appalachian State verified that 30 minutes of walking a day can increase the number of immune cells that help combat future sickness.

1. Mental Improvements

Not only does walking help with physical ailments but with mental diseases as well. The University of California found that memory changes due to advanced age decreased 17% in those that walked 2.5 miles or more daily. In the same study those who walked less than ½ mile daily had a 25% decline in memory retention. An additional study found that those who walked ¼ of a mile per day were 50% less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The memory improvements can be attributed to exercises ability to help the body retain the same brain size.

Remember to always consult your doctor before starting a new workout routine. So, keep counting your steps and reaching your goals for a healthier and happier 2018!

(#Podiatry #Waking #Health #Benefits)

Often falls happen to those with poor balance while they are mobile. At Frederick Foot & Ankle we asses all aspects of that can increase the risk of our patient’s falling. Some contributing factors to falls include; poor eyesight, medications, uneven terrain, decreased muscle strength, neuropathy, and other health issues.

The Center for Disease Control reports that one in five falls causes a serious injury such as a broken bone or head injury. For those that are looking to improve their balance and strength there are chair exercises above that should be completed daily. The exercises should be 3 sets for 12 repetitions. Always consult your doctor before starting an exercise routine.

Staying active is the best way to combat balance issues. Often a period of inactivity after an injury or surgery can be a reason to start with chair exercises. Once the chair exercises are mastered more difficult balance challenges can be added.

(#Fall #Balance #Strength #Workouts )

During this holiday season I feel nostalgic and like to reflect on my good fortunes. Too often I forget all the positives in my life and focus on the inconveniences. I heard from a friend years ago about the idea of gratitude journaling but never started one or really considered its benefits. Gratitude journaling is meant to bring more peace to your life and lower your stress by allowing you to express in writing all the good that has entered your day.

How to start such a positive periodical? Try using some of these prompts below for your writing. Don’t feel pressured to put something down every day, try once a week to sum up your last seven days. Remember this is supposed to add to your life not feel like chore, so make it fit for you.

• List three things that brought you joy today
• Write a favorite memory from your childhood that you are grateful for
• Mention a friend or family member that you are blessed to have in your life and why
• Name a goal that you have achieved recently
• Describe one of your talents
• A family tradition that you love to participate in

Don’t forget to re-read previous entries to be an up-lifting reminder on days that your feel less than blessed.

If you need more direction for you writing, try some of these journals …

• Printable Journal — https://www.simplemadepretty.com/free-printable-mini-gratitude-journal/
• Purchase a gratitude journal — http://www.ladonnamoderna.com/my-gratitude-journal/
• 52 gratitude prompts — https://bouncebackparenting.com/gratitude-journal-prompts-for-the-whole-year/

(#Podiatry #Stress #Gratitude #Journal #Dairy #Happy #Life #Improvements )

Being a part of Frederick Foot & Ankle has been a great experience witnessing all the philanthropy endeavors. For the holiday season, the office has elected to adopt a local family in need of some Christmas cheer. The Frederick Rescue Mission coordinates with individuals and businesses that wish to give back to the community. The volunteers are then assigned a family by concentrating their efforts on making one family holiday season a little less stressful by purchasing what they can on their wish list. This year Frederick Foot & Ankle adopted a family of 5! For the family, we are proud to say that we collected enough money to purchase a bike for each of the children along with clothes, games, and electronics.

Outside of the holiday season The Frederick Rescue Mission provides; food, clothing, back to school essentials, financial medical assistance and help for those struggling with substance abuse.

The Frederick Rescue Mission, 501-C nonprofit, concentrates their efforts for those in need that are living in Frederick County. If you wish to volunteer or are willing to donate visit www.therescuemission.org to learn more.

( #Frederick #Podiatry #Foot Specialist #Charity #Non-Profit #Donations )

Special Olympics was designated as a way for those with differing abilities to compete in a safe environment. Sports have been shown to increase health awareness, develop self-confidence, and provide social interaction. A lesser known aspect of the Special Olympics is the Healthy Athletes program where six different health disciplines screen the athletes not only to help them compete pain free but to live a healthier life. The Fit Feet portion of the Special Olympics is where lower extremity professionals and students get together to evaluate the athletes free of charge at the games. Fit Feet wants to bring awareness to the importance of foot care and provide advice on different issues that nag the participants or have been noticed by their coaches. At the event the podiatrist along with podiatry students and volunteers measure the athletes for an accurate shoe size, scan the pressure points during their normal stance, provide donated orthotics, write referrals, and relay patient specific lower extremity education.

The experience for the volunteers is uplifting to give back to the community through an organization that has such positive goal.

To get involved in the Special Olympics follow the link below

(#Foot Care #Volunteer #Special Olympics #Fit Feet #Special Needs )

85% of Americans are wearing the wrong size shoe according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Wearing the wrong size shoes could be the reason that you have pain at the end of the work day or even a work-out.

Some problems that shoes can cause include:

• Wrong foot posture
• Excessive rubbing
• Formation of open wounds
• Decreased performance
• Leg muscle fatigue
• Increased amount of Injuries
• Feet Swelling
• Faster progression of foot deformities
• Toe Nails are bruised, thickened, or fall off

Often these foot fails can be fixed with proper footwear that is the proper size.

A Brannock Device, pictured above, is used to accurately measure feet. All clinical staff at Frederick Foot & Ankle have been trained in a four-point measuring system to put you in the best shoe possible. The four points of measuring include (1) heel to toe (2) heel to arch (3) width (4) semi-circumference. When ordering shoes staff keeps in mind orthotic devices, braces, and foot deformities. Once shoes are delivered to the office minor adjustments can be made to shoes and assistive devices to give you a more comfortable fit.

We are happy to measure your feet and provide our expert shoe opinion even for individuals that are not currently patients of Frederick Foot & Ankle.

( #Frederick #FootPain #legpain #Blisters #footspecialist #ShoeFit #ShoeSize #ToenailBruising #Bruises #BrannockDevice )

In addition to Breast Cancer Awareness month, National Reading Group Month, Women’s Small Business Month, and Apple Month October is known as Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. Being a dog owner myself I wanted to share all the positives of adopting.
Why You Should Adopt a Dog

1. Save a life: Unfortunately, animal shelters across the United States become over populated with homeless pets leading to 2.7 million potentially adoptable dogs and cats being euthanized each year. You can decrease these number by adopting from a shelter and being a responsible pet owner. The empty spot you created in the dog shelter gives another dog from the streets a chance to be adopted.
2. Health Benefits: the companionship increases oxytocin decreasing anxiety and stress. Increased exercise with daily walks, fights off extra pounds and keeps your heart healthy. These added health benefits of owning a dog adds years to your life.
3. Social ability: Studies show that owning a dog keeps you more social than your dog-less counterparts, apparently dog walks don’t just supply exercise but include more social interactions.
4. Variability: Adopting from a shelter gives you more options of breed types and dog ages. In one visit to the humane society you can see all types of canines, even some with previous training. Most shelters even encourage you to interact with multiple dogs to test out the right feet.
5. Less Expense: the average cost of adopting a dog from your local shelter is around $100 and includes vaccinations and a check-up by a veterinarian. Adoption prices normally undercut expensive breeders by a few hundred dollars, leaving you with enough cash to spoil your new pooch.

Start off looking for your perfect match online by narrowing down your adoption locations by visiting the websites below

• Animal Control – https://www.frederickcountymd.gov/15/Animal-ControlFrederick
• County Humane Society – http://www.fchs.org/Lonely
• Hearts Animal Rescue – http://lonelyheartsanimalrescue.org/

Other websites that scan a larger area for a pet include

• Petfinder.com
• Adoptaped.com

Best of luck looking for your new four-legged companion!

Did you know that in addition to seeing patients with routine foot care needs, and even urgent podiatry concerns we have a surgical suite? The Ambulatory Surgical Center is located at our Frederick office on Thomas Johnson Drive. An Ambulatory Surgical Center is a facility where surgeries are performed that do not require the patient to be admitted to the hospital. The doctors of Frederick Foot & Ankle wanted to provide their patients with a smooth and private operating area to eliminate the extra stress that can accompany the hospital setting.

Our surgical suite is in use by all 6 of our trained podiatric surgeons, where they feel comfortable and familiar in our one of a kind operating setting. During a routine surgery one of our trained surgical assistants (Kim, Jenny, and Paul) help the podiatrists by being an extra set of hands and eyes during the surgery. For scheduling, verifications, and all things behind the scenes we have our surgical coordinator (Taryn, pictured above). With only two recovery bays and one operating room the surgery center staff’s attention is focused on a limited number of patients, giving each patient personalized attention to accommodate their needs. Other advantages of our private surgery suite include; shorter wait times, surgeons operating in a more controlled setting, an operating room dedicated to podiatric surgeries, and a more accessible location.

Having an Ambulatory Surgical Center does have a few limitations including; restrictions held by insurances, and specific surgeries that must be performed in a hospital setting.

If your feet and ankles are causing you pain or discomfort make an appointment at Frederick Foot & Ankle where we are equipped to take care of your health on many levels.

( #Frederick #Foot #Doctor #Foot #Ankle #Surgeon #FootSurgery #AmbulatorySurgicalCenter #SurgicalCoordinator #SurgicalAssistant )

With fall weather comes school, and with school comes homework. After being a student for many years myself I have looked into what habits are the most effective for retaining more information and developed a short list.

1. Sleep: All-nighters are proven to be ineffective. You need sleep to convert your newly absorbed information into longer term memory by way of REM sleep. You should study the most important information right before you go to bed, researchers have named this learning method as “sleep-learning.”
2. Food: Just like you fuel up before a work out you should feast properly to prepare for optimum brain power. Eating the well-known healthy foods is always a good idea your body to run ideally, like; vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and plenty of water. Some more specific memory enhancing foods include; oily fish, sage, berries, tomatoes, eggs, and dark chocolate.
3. Exercise: We all know all about the benefits for exercise on the body as reducing stress and releasing endorphins. But did you know that it is suggested to go for a run or lift weights before you sit down to study. Exercising beforehand is known to increases your alertness and mood.
4. Get Help: There are so many resources available to the current student that it is a shame how many students struggle in silence. Some useful websites are Quizlet for digital flash cards, Anatomy Guy for a virtual tour of a dissected cadaver, and Tyler DeWitt’s channel on youtube for chemistry.Study
5. Time: Research has come up with a 24-hour rule for studying, in which a topic learned in class should be reviewed and studied 24 hours after you learn it. With the 24-hour rule 80% of the initial material covered is retained.
6. Self-Test: Re-reading material might be a good way to introduce yourself to the topic at hand but can also lure you into a false sense that you know the material. When you re-read the text, you feel like you know the information because it all looks familiar. Although what you are not using is any recall. Performing self-tests, like flash cards or testing yourself with a partner, is good because it makes you use recall.

Hopefully with these 6 small study tips the new school year will be more educationally productive.
( #Exercise#School#September#Study#Grades#Food#Sleep#Test )

We send our love, prayers and support to those affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Hurricane Irma in Florida (pictured above) and the Caribbean Islands. We feel for those that have been displaced from their homes and some who have been taken from their families too soon.

With all this water across the U.S. and in select islands we wanted to remind our friends the importance of keeping their feet dry. Skin is the first defense against outside microbes that surround us daily and live on our skin. When the skin becomes overly hydrated by excessive perspiration or feet remaining in wet shoes or socks the skin becomes delicate. At this point when the skin turns pale and becomes pruned it begins to peel away. This weakened and broken skin is often the point of entry for bacteria. If the infection is not taken care of there is always a chance that it will travel into the surrounding tissue, which may lead to serious consequences.

During the Vietnam War soldiers would stand for long periods of time in wet boots and socks out in the field. These unsanitary conditions in the trenches would lead to the soldier’s feet becoming numb, painful, itchy, blistered, and infected. If untreated trench foot would set in, today it is called immersion foot and it could lead to gangrene and amputations. Immersion foot is avoidable if proper care is taken by; cleaning feet daily, keeping them dry, changing foot ware regularly, and checking feet daily for any issues.

If you are in an area or in a line of work where your feet get wet for long periods of time please remember to take protective measure by wearing water proof boots are having the availability to change into dry shoe gear. If a professional’s opinion is needed please see one of our highly qualified podiatrists at Frederick Foot & Ankle because we love to keep our patients moving.