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FEELINGWELL
Walk With A Doc When cardiologist DR. JAMES LONDON read about the Walk With A
Step It Up According to the AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE, there are 2,000 steps to a mile and an adult should be walking 10,000 steps a day to be considered active. It breaks down like this: 4,999 steps or fewer is considered sedentary; 5,000–7,499 is low active; and 7,5009,999 is somewhat active. To achieve the active level, it takes 10,000 steps. Now don’t let that scare you. You don’t have to do it all at once. You can accumulate the steps throughout your day. In addition to taking actual walks, running errands—at least the ones on foot—count, too! It’s probably a good idea to get a pedometer to make sure you’re getting in those 10,000 steps! And why is all this walking so important? Well, according to a study published in a recent issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, American adults walk less than adults in some other countries with lower obesity rates. The average American adult takes 5,117 steps compared to adults in Japan (7,168), Switzerland (9,650) and Australia (9,695). The American adult obesity rate is 34 percent compared to Japan (3%), Switzerland (8%) and Australia (16%).
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Doc program, which was founded five years ago in Columbus, Ohio, he wanted to bring it to Ocala. “There are about a dozen programs throughout the country,” says London, who is a physician with Ocala Family Medical Center. “The only other one in Florida is in Miami. A free program, walkers are invited to join Dr. London and other physicians and staff from Ocala Family Medical Center for a 1-2 mile walk every Saturday at 8:30am. Personal trainer Robert Moffett of Ocala Body Worx Fitness Training also joins in to help with warm-up exercises and fitness questions. Everyone meets at the Ocala Family Medical Center offices just off Easy Street and walks to and back from nearby Scott Springs Park and back. “The route is actually a mile and a half,” says London. “But we are flexible and if someone only wants to walk a mile
ASKTHE
EXPERT Dr. Thomas L. Johnson II, MD Allergy & Asthma Care of Florida
Q: How do I know if my runny nose is a cold or allergies? A: Runny nose, stuffy nose, post-nasal drip and sneezing are all common symptoms of allergies and infection as well as non-allergic rhinitis. The duration of the symptoms can be helpful in differentiating between infection and allergies since most of the time symptoms of infection start to get better within 7–10 days, whereas allergy symptoms tend to last longer. The best way to determine if the symptoms are allergy-related is for patients to have allergy testing.
or wants to walk two miles, we break up into different groups. Also if it’s really cold or rainy, we can just go right over to the Paddock Mall and walk indoors.” Walkers can bring friends, family and even their dogs. Water and granola bars are provided, as are pedometers to everyone who wants one. Also during the walk, participants can ask the doctors medical and healthy lifestyle questions at no charge! “Our hope is that if people take part in the Walk With A Doc program, it’ll encourage them to walk every day,” says London. Ocala Family Medical Center is located at 2230 SW 19th Avenue Road. (352) 237-4133
Q: What specifically do you test for with allergy testing? A: The typical allergy test evaluates for
allergy to trees, grasses, weeds, molds and indoor allergens such as dust mites, cats, dogs and cockroaches. This panel of allergens is used for patients that have nasal and/or eye symptoms. It is also an excellent panel to use for patients with asthma since up to 80 percent of asthma patients have allergy triggers. Allergy testing is also available for specific food allergens. Probably the one test that most people are not aware that allergists offer is venom testing. We can test patients who have had significant reactions to bee, wasp, hornet, yellow jacket and fire ant stings, and if the tests are positive, offer potentially life-saving allergy injections.