Vitality - Summer 2012 - (Page 15)

Going the Extra Miles CMH neurologist completes ‘around the world’ biking journey to inspire others to exercise BY ERIN HARRIS Curtis P. Schreiber, M.D., a neurologist with the Citizens Memorial Healthcare Neurology Clinic in Bolivar, logged 24,902 miles—the same distance as bicycling around the world—by bicycling on trails. He completed the milestone Tuesday, Feb. 21, on the Frisco Highline Trail in Bolivar. Schreiber lives in Springfield and regularly bikes on the Ozark Greenways Trail and the Galloway Creek Greenway in addition to the Frisco Highline Trail. He bikes about 12 miles per day most days throughout the year and says that you don’t need special equipment or to go far or fast—you just need to be consistent. “People can do this on any bicycle,” he says. What Exercise Does for Your Heart Here’s a simple fact: Cardiovascular exercise improves your heart health. In other words, working your heart boosts your overall health. Cardio exercise can help lower blood pressure, manage weight, improve cholesterol levels and build strong bones. Plus, if active people do develop cardiovascular disease, it’s typically later in life or not as severe. The American Heart Association recommends moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. Your heart is a muscle, so it makes sense that exercising it improves function. You can break up your cardio into shorter bursts of activity that total 30 minutes—for example, 15 minutes before you head to work in the morning and 15 minutes during your lunch break. S U M M E R 2 0 1 2 | 15 Taking His Own Advice What motivated the doctor to start this exercise plan? According to Schreiber, he wasn’t practicing what he preached. Curtis Schreiber, M.D., holds up his odometer, which has tracked “I was telling my patients that they 25,000 miles on his bicycle since 2005. He hopes his story will would feel better and their headaches inspire his patients to exercise. Schreiber is a neurologist at would be better if they would exercise,” he Citizens Memorial Healthcare in Bolivar. says. “Here I was getting middle-aged and am I going to get fitter or fatter? Practice jogging, swimming, cardio workout DVDs, soccer what you preach. I was telling them to get out there and basketball are just a few options. The activity and to exercise and they would feel better so I you choose should be something you enjoy. decided to take my own advice.” So Schreiber placed an odometer on his trail The Feeling of Fitness bicycle on July 11, 2005, and hasn’t stopped since. And how is Schreiber feeling today? “Before I started I would say that I felt good,” Schreiber says. “I would say that after regular physWhat If I Don’t Like Bicycling? ical activity, I feel better and when I don’t exercise, Of course, biking is not the only way to get cardioI feel lethargic. It takes a while for the appreciation. vascular exercise. There are many different ways Over time your body does feel better!” to get your heart pumping: Taking a brisk walk,

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vitality - Summer 2012

Vitality - Summer 2012
Contents
‘Not a Hitch in Her Giddy-Up’
Health Beat
Circle of Influence
Words of Inspiration
Heart Smart
Q+A
Going the Extra Miles
Support Groups Calendar

Vitality - Summer 2012