NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2019 - 28

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Feature

OUTR

Cardi
A

s medical professionals, we are constantly thinking
about the health of our patients but rarely take time
to think about our own. Working a job where stressful
situations and unconventional hours are the norm, it's easy to
push personal health to the wayside while trying to maintain
a work-life balance. Taking care of our personal health is a
commitment, but unfortunately there's only so much time in
the day and regular exercise is often put on the back burner.
I am sure we all know someone whose professional life came
to an abrupt end due to avoidable health problems. I am lucky
enough that regular exercise and healthy eating have always
been a big part of my life, but still I find myself struggling to
maintain a strict diet and exercise schedule. Fortunately, I work
in a profession where a beep of the pager serves as an instant
reminder that I could be on the cardiac cath lab table one day.

Transitioning from college to the
working world was more difficult than
I anticipated. For the 1st time in my life,
I did not have a team or coach holding
me accountable and initially struggled
to find a healthy routine.
regularly from grade school through college. These activities
kept me a healthy young adult, but transitioning from college
to the working world was more difficult than I anticipated. For
the 1st time in my life, I did not have a team or coach holding
me accountable and initially struggled to find a healthy routine.
Fortunately, I started my new job in the cath lab at Geisinger
CMC and found myself surrounded by cardiovascular professionals who regularly ran in the Scranton half marathon and
introduced me to the thriving Scranton running community.

As a Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist, I see patients of all
ages and all walks of life come through our lab. They typically
all have the same questions; how could this happen to me or
what could I have done to prevent this? While some patients
do have unfortunate genetic conditions, the majority of the
cardiovascular disease I encounter has been caused by long
standing neglect of diet and exercise. The American College of
Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA)
recently released updated guidelines to prevent or slow the progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. They suggest
engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week,
maintaining a healthy weight and abstaining from tobacco. They
also recommend a heart healthy diet that aims to reduce the
intake of trans and saturated fats, processed sugars, red meat,
and sodium. For some patients these concepts are very foreign,
for others a basic idea is present but difficult to put into practice
and follow. In my formative years, these recommendations were
a way of life, but as I've aged, it is becoming more difficult to
find the motivation.

Geared up with the ACC/AHA guidelines, a new pair of running shoes and the encouraging words from the community
around me, I began making strides towards a healthier future.
Training for the Scranton Half Marathon has been one of the
most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life. Running
has been truly therapeutic for my body and my mind. Following
a training routine has re-created the structure I've lost since
leaving collegiate athletics and given me something to look
forward to at the end of the work day. Running is also a way
to focus my mind and serves as a form of personal meditation.
When I'm out running, it's only me, my thoughts and the pavement, presenting the perfect opportunity for self-reflection.
I've also come to value the importance of listening to my body
and giving it what it needs. Although running is a wonderful
way to stay in shape, training requires completing many consecutive miles at a time. With most good things, there's such
thing as too much and it's important to recognize when your
body needs rest. Complimentary to rest and recovery, diet is
also a key factor in a successful running career. The heart is
the engine of the body and much like your car, the type of fuel
that you're using makes a difference.

Growing up, healthy diet and regular cardiovascular activity
was seamlessly integrated into my daily life. My father was an
avid hunter and my mother kept a large garden, so the majority
of our meals came from the land we lived on. At an early age,
I discovered a lifelong love for Track and Field and competed
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NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2019

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