The Elephant in the room

[Jolt]

Thanks, Roadie Gal, for the article. Too bad they had to stop the study because of recruitment problems, hopefully somebody else can do something similar and have better luck. This has a lot of potential in terms of improving outcomes and reducing costs, if the exercise program is confirmed to have equal or better results than angioplasty for stable angina.

As for "how I learned", that's kind of hard to answer. I was always an active kid (often too much so!), so I think that part came pretty naturally. I enjoyed riding my bike (including on a paper route at one point) and rollerblading as well as other outside activities. My sisters and I were on swim teams for a number of years, which is what really got me into the habit of working out on a daily basis; the running was something I took up in college and found I liked once I learned to pace myself and started to develop endurance. After college, I decided to buy a used bike to ride on errands etc. to save on gas and incorporate some of my exercise into trips I would have to do anyway; besides, being stuck in the car drives me nuts! As far as the healthy eating, I didn't really learn that at home--we did have our share of junk food growing up although my mom did and does cook from scratch the majority of the time and she taught me to know my way around the kitchen. I think that came more from having always had an interest in health, deciding to go into health care, and realizing that it is much better to prevent illness when possible rather than waiting to treat it after it happens. Being out on my own and doing my own grocery shopping helped too, and then I moved into my current apartment (in a three-decker) where there are pear trees and a vegetable garden in the yard that I got involved in helping with.