Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Focus on Fitness
Gloria Schwartz
ity. They increased their muscular strength by 10 per cent and improved their walking abilities. Even old and habitually sedentary people still can reap the benefits of exercise if they simply put themselves in motion, he concludes. In The Great American Heart Hoax: Lifesaving Advice Your Doctor Should Tell You About Heart Disease Prevention (But Probably Never Will), Dr. Michael Ozner takes a strong position against the American medical industrys practice of relying on expensive, invasive and often potentially risky procedures such as angioplasties and bypass operations. He reviews a number of studies that suggest patients with stable coronary artery disease have better outcomes with lifestyle changes coupled with medical therapy. He concludes that 30 minutes of daily cardio exercise and healthy eating can prevent heart disease in healthy people and even reverse heart disease in those already afflicted. These books got me thinking about the kinds of information our physicians communicate, or fail to communicate, to us. Does your doctor discuss lifestyle changes you can make as part of a comprehensive preventative maintenance or health improvement strategy? A prescription for exercise as a way to prevent, delay, re-
duce the symptoms of, or even cure, some diseases, is not as recent a concept as some would have us believe. Physical fitness for health purposes has been encouraged in many cultures throughout history. One example is the 5,000-year-old practice of yoga. While travelling in Spain in August, I stopped in Cordoba, birthplace of 12th century Torah scholar, rabbi and physician Moses Maimonides. I visited Casa de Sefard, the Jewish museum that showcases his life and work. Best known for his Judaic scholarly writings, he also wrote medical works. I was fascinated to learn that Maimonides was an advocate of exercise, nutrition and personal hygiene. Among the museums displays is a list of specific foods Maimonides recommended eating or avoiding. Many of his ideas still make sense today. Skip ahead 800 years. Remember Susan Powter, the charismatic queen of the early-1990s Stop the Insanity infomercials? Her book of the same name and era seems a bit dated, especially the photos of her working out in bra tops and leotards. Nonetheless, her personal success story about overhauling her body and mind is packed with bittersweet and laugh-out-loud moments. In recalling her weight-loss goals, Powter admits health was not initially at the top of her list: As I was changing my body, I thought about what I wanted Heres what I visualized Looking better than my ex-husbands girlfriend. Of course, along the way, she was rewarded with many health benefits and a hot body! If I had to choose one message to share with you from my summer reading, it would be a profound statement made by Martha Gulati and Sherry Torkos in their book, Saving Womens Hearts. Physical inactivity is second only to cigarette smoking as the leading cause of preventable deaths We just need to move!
Campus Life
Ilana Belfer
So, where are gay, Jewish youth to turn in Ottawa? In my experience they just end up not doing Jewish stuff [and] eventually disconnect from the community, Attig said. However, this doesnt have to be the case. Last year, Hillel Ottawa brought gay, Orthodox Rabbi Steven Greenberg to Carleton to speak. Granted, he was already in town visiting Congregation Agudath Israel, but its a start. Scott Goldstein, Hillel Ottawas new executive director, told me he has a lot of experience working with the GLBTQ community on campuses and is looking for ways to continue doing so in Ottawa. Citywide Hillel Ottawa President Cheryl Sweigman told me shed love to have more events relating to GLBTQ students and asked for suggestions. Heres one maybe this year would be the time to have a Purim drag show, an idea Attig once proposed, but which Hillel Ottawa rejected at the time. He feels it wouldnt alienate religious people because Jewish law permits cross-dressing on Purim. While things are looking up for the New Year, we must remember to follow through on this goal of improving JewishGLBTQ relations on campus. Its fine to support gay rights in Israel, but it would be akin to pinkwashing, if were not, first and foremost, opening our arms to members of the tribe here at home.