A wee bit of exercise with a broom is good for mortals too

While sitting in a cafe in Edinburgh, Scotland, J.K. Rowling invented the highly competitive wizards’ game, Quidditch, for inclusion in her Harry Potter novels. Today, thanks to students at Middlebury College, Vermont, mortals can play too, as long as they keep that broomstick between their legs. There are 134 campus-based Quidditch teams in the U.S. and another 170-plus around the world. The rules: “Seekers search for the Snitch off the pitch. The Snitch will return to the pitch during the match, and if there has not been a clean snatch off pitch, the hunt will continue on the pitch.”

Well, the Scots have always been keen to stay in shape, but in this case it’s American students who’ve upped the ante. Now, if only more Americans would follow that broom and move.

A new study shows that nearly two-thirds of Scottish adults meet physical activity guidelines, compared with only one-fifth in the United States (both countries say to get 150 minutes weekly). And fewer than 30 percent of 18- to 30-year-old Americans meet U.S. Army guidelines for physical and mental fitness.

Since most Scots reach their number without playing Quidditch (or any sport), what are they doing? Walking, occupational activities, housework, do-it-yourself chores and gardening play a big part in Scottish health.

Show the Scots your caber-bilities. Aim for the equivalent of 10,000 steps a day. An hour of gardening can equal 4,800 steps, and an hour of household chores easily can count as 4,400. So pick up your broom and get moving.

Taking your job to heart

In season five of “The Office,” Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) stages what he hopes will be a more compelling fire drill by setting the office on fire. This causes easygoing paper salesman Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) to have a heart attack.

That may seem like a far-fetched (and felonious) example of workplace-related heart attacks, but your work can be hard on your heart. Researchers from U.S. Public Health Service recently presented data at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology/Lifestyle 2016 meeting, revealing:

▪ 79 percent of food preparation/serving employees had a poor-quality diet.

▪ 90 percent of protective service workers (police, e.g.) were overweight or obese; 77 percent had undertreated or untreated elevated total cholesterol; and 35 percent had undertreated or untreated high blood pressure.

▪ 69 percent of salespeople, including office and administrative-support employees, had undertreated or untreated elevated total cholesterol.

▪ 82 percent of office workers didn’t get minimum levels of physical activity.

Where and how you spend 40-plus hours a week has a huge influence on your health. So here are five ways to dodge the heart hazards of your workplace:

1. Eliminate red meats, processed meats and egg yolks; eat healthy proteins (skinless chicken, beans, fish) and nine servings of fruits and veggies daily.

2. Stand up every 30 minutes, and walk 10,000 steps daily.

3. Meditate 10 minutes daily.

4. Get seven to eight hours of sleep nightly.

5. Ask your employer to invest in employee health programs (insurance cost reductions for healthy numbers; better vending options; rebates for gym membership, etc.).

Veggies for breakfast?

Israel, Vietnam and Costa Rica have one important custom in common: Their traditional breakfast serves up a tasty mixture of veggies. In Israel, it includes fish such as salmon, herring or mackerel (loaded with omega-3s and 7s and protein), plus a chopped vegetable salad with tomatoes, red onion, parsley, cilantro and cucumber. The Vietnamese enjoy a soup called pho that’s made with broth, rice noodles, a touch of chicken or other meat, vegetables and herbs, including basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, carrots and cucumber. And in Costa Rica, breakfast is loaded with protein, fiber and complex carbs from “gallo pinto,” a mixture of rice and black beans with eggs on the side.

In contrast, in the U.S., where only 41 percent of folks eat breakfast daily (skipping it expands the waistline) and 152,500 Pop Tarts are purchased annually (they’re loaded with high fructose corn syrup and dextrose), one popular choice is the breakfast sandwich. (A Sausage McMuffin delivers 450 calories, 250 from fat, which is 43 percent of your daily recommended intake.)

Try an egg-white omelet with spinach, tomatoes and peppers; steel-cut oatmeal with steamed kale and hazelnuts; or diced carrots, tomatoes and herbs in no-fat Greek yogurt. It’ll make a world of difference in how you feel all day.

This story was originally published March 26, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "A wee bit of exercise with a broom is good for mortals too."