| Mall walkers avoid woes of cold, wintry weather
Q: With the cold weather, my father doesn't get out to do his regular walks and he doesn't want to join any gym. Do you have any suggestions? A: Sure do. How about getting him to go to his local mall and walk? It's safe, warm, parking isn't a hassle, and he gets to meet interesting people. If he's more of a loner, he doesn't have to mingle -- just walk. "Mall Walkers" usually begin their trek in the morning when the mall doors open, which can be as early as 7. Most malls offer informal programs: There is no club to join or membership fees, and they are happy to accommodate walkers. On most mornings at any local mall, you'll see 30 to 50 walkers, most of whom are either older or mothers with babies in strollers, lending a nice intergenerational touch. If you're looking for reasons to convince your dad that "mall walking" is his ticket to year-round good health, here is my top 10 list: 1.
The Pier was guitarist's stage
Elmer Wright, the gravel-voiced street musician who sang and played gospel music at the Pier for more than 60 years, died Saturday at age 92 after a short illness. Mr. Wright broke a hip in September and recently developed pneumonia, said Terri Wright, his wife. "He slipped peacefully away," she said. Clad in his trademark feathered cowboy hat, strumming an electric guitar through a single-speaker amplifier, Mr. Wright handed out tape recordings of his music, bantered with strollers and sprinkled his songs with words about the Lord. He did it for free, three days a week, starting in 1939. To those who stopped and talked, Mr. Wright often said his repertoire included more than 200 songs he had written. "He was a strong Christian," said Mrs.
Mayor Mike to City Moms: Suckle This
The man who doesn't want you to smoke in City bars or clog your coronaries with sweet, sweet trans fats now wants to do something healthy for the tiniest and newest New Yorkers. Mayor Mike Bloomberg is dropping more than $2 million on a campaign to get City run hospitals to encourage new moms to breast feed. City health commissioner, Thomas Frieden, wants babies to dine on nothing but their mothers' breast milk for the first six months of life. Right now, about 75% of New York mommies breast feed their babies but nearly 40% stop before the six month mark. The benefits of breast feeding have been known for a while. Some include decreasing a baby's risk of obesity, asthma, diabetes, leukemia, or lymphoma. Breast milk also protects against infection with maternal antibodies and helps build a stronger mommy-baby bond.
Baby Blues Can Affect Pregnant Women, Not Just After Giving Birth
(TV5) -- Most of us have heard of postpartum depression, sometimes called the baby blues, affecting women who have just given birth, but pregnant women can get the blues too. The problem is few doctors screen for it, and many pregnant women are afraid to admit to it. In fact, one social worker says at least ten percent of expecting mothers suffer from depression, but the numbers could be much higher. Clinical Social Worker Susan Stone said, "The motherhood myth still associates a stigma to that. That this is the time you should be happy. So you can imagine how much that would further isolate a person, and make her less likely to reach out for help." The risks of untreated depression during pregnancy can be serious: pre-term labor, increased chance of cesarean section, low birth weight, and a higher likelihood the mother will also suffer from post-partum depression.
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