Your health
Advice from Jared
Any dieter will tell you it's not losing the weight but keeping it off that's a struggle. So we asked dieter Jared Fogle of Subway fame how he's kept his 245-pound weight loss intact for nine years. His tips:
• Walk. Even though he's on the road 200 days a year, Jared tries to walk half an hour most days.
• Stay motivated. Being in the public eye keeps him from slipping.
• Practice moderation. Jared doesn't clean his plate.
Now Jared is touring the country talking to school kids, including a recent stop in Bolingbrook. Moderation is key, said Jared, who started gaining weight in third grade. You don't have to cut out all the video games and candy, but you do have to have limits.
"If you have 20 minutes before dinner, you can play video games or watch TV, or maybe get on your bike or run around outside," he said. "Those are all important decisions a lot of kids don't realize they are making."
Tracking kids' health
You have a cute baby book to record her first smile, first word and favorite foods. Meanwhile, you stuff your infant's medical records into an overflowing file cabinet.
A new binder offers a way to organize this information. "HealthTracks: A Child's Health History," by Toni Wanebo and Jennifer Cofield, includes pages to record hearing, dental and vision histories; allergies; immunizations; regular checkups; family health history and contact information for your child's physicians. The book is $19.95. An online version is available at www.healthetracks.com for $24.95.
No pressure
Managing your blood pressure during middle age can protect your heart two decades later, according to a study in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers found an increase of 20 points in systolic blood pressure (the top number) was associated with a 36 percent higher risk of heart failure up to 20 years later. An extra 15 points in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) increased the risk by 31 percent.
The findings highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure over a lifetime, researchers said.
--Susan Stevens