Fitness & Exercise

Fit for Office

No Excuses continued...

Research shows that even the smallest efforts are worthwhile. "We know physical activity is paramount to good health and that people who exercise or are engaged in physical activity that elevates the heart rate have a much lower incidence of most chronic disorders," says Christine Horner, MD, a Taos, N.M.-based author, retired plastic surgeon, and certified personal trainer.

"Physical activity helps lower blood pressure, decreases blood lipids, reduces the risk for heart disease, and even combats and improves anxiety and depression," says Horner, who wrote Waking the Warrior Goddess: Dr. Christine Horner's Program to Protect Against & Fight Breast Cancer, a book about achieving breast health naturally. Physical activity and exercise also increase energy and stamina and sometimes cut the incidence of certain cancers. In a recent study published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, regular exercise lowered the risk of breast cancer. Something as simple as brisk walking can be a very effective form of exercise, Horner says.

Paying attention to keeping fit may be even more important as the years go by. "As people get older, they focus on quality of life, but being immobile is what destroys quality of life," says Kevin Stone, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who founded his medical practice, the Stone Clinic, in San Francisco.

Arthritis or other chronic joint pain affects nearly 70 million people in the United States alone, and Stone says people often are confronted with immobility for the first time when they develop the condition. Only then do they realize the importance of trying to regain their mobility. "Joint pain slows down people, so why wait?" he says. "Every decade is precious, and it's important to remain active."

Next Generation

Davis, who's married to Reza Jarrahy, MD, a surgeon who is completing his residency training in plastic surgery, is deeply committed to sharing her message with the younger generation, especially young girls.

"The benefits for encouraging girls to take up sports are well documented," she says. "They include better body image, greater self-esteem, higher grades, less teen pregnancy, and less substance abuse."

The benefits, says Davis, apply to any kind of physical activity where a girl uses her body and feels she inhabits it. Davis and her husband are now at the ball-throwing and catch stage with their own children. "We are trying to be active with them and make that a part of their lives."

But Davis is also active on the subject in a more public way. She's a trustee of the Women's Sports Foundation, through which she has her own website, GeenaTakesAim.com. It provides information about girls' rights to play sports through Title IX, a federal anti-discrimination education policy. And partnered with the nonprofit organization Dads & Daughters, Davis created a foundation called See Jane.