Tag Archives: Improve
Top ways payers, providers use tech to improve care
Five strategies to improve care for members with advanced disease
Here are five key strategies to improve care and outcomes for members with advanced illness.
Managed Healthcare Executive – Health Management
How one health plan aims to improve quality
Developing and carrying out a unified strategy for quality improvement can be difficult. CareSource is outlining its goals and supporting the front lines to initiate change.
Managed Healthcare Executive – Health Management
Simplify gaps in care and improve member compliance
Data is key to helping providers increase member compliance, and technology has made this delivery simpler and more effective.
Managed Healthcare Executive – Health Management
5 Hacks to Improve your Workouts
Several individual and group exercise formats are offered by fitness centers, such as those that are choreographed to music like dance and aerobics classes. Many offer boot camp, fall prevention, sculpting, kickboxing, indoor cycling, yoga, Pilates and core conditioning. Group exercises expose you to a fun and social environment. Your workout is effectively and safely designed.
One of the most common reasons why people do not complete any exercise program is boredom. Lack of motivation is another factor. Here are some hacks that will help you improve your fitness workout.
1. Be part of a group
There are some workout programs that are done in groups although some of the exercises are performed individually, such as in Pilates and yoga. What is more important is not to be in a collective group but a group where you are part of, such as team sports. You will have greater motivation to exercise because your efforts count in the team’s success. Group fitness classes on the other hand, provide you great support from the instructor and participants. The classes also become social events as you meet people, form friendships, have fun while struggling through routines.
2. Mental and physical pacing
Not everyone is ready for a HIIT program. To get your body and brain going throughout the day as well as to stay healthy, you only need a moderate workout. For improving your cardiovascular health according to the American Heart Association, you need about 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week. If you are able to perform more vigorous activities, you only need to do it for 25 minutes three times a week. If you continue to do this you’ll be able to improve your endurance.
3. Think of the long-term benefits
Morning workouts are great for relieving stress and getting the energy boost to keep you going for the rest of the day. Beyond exercising, it is better for improving your workout if you are able to visualize the long term benefits of what you are doing. This is a technique that many athletes, such as Michael Phelps employ to improve performance and increase motivation. Such a study was published in an issue of the Psychology of Sport and Exercise.
4. Improve your workout form
Working out is not just about doing the recommended exercises. You have to pay attention to the form in order to realize the results and prevent injuries. For example, when doing squats, your toes should point forward, and knees aligned to your toes to properly target the hamstrings and quads. Moving the feet slightly outward will target the outer and inner thighs.
Maintain better back alignment when doing shoulder press, bicep curls and lateral presses by squeezing your abs and your glutes.
A lower bench when doing step-up targets the quad while increasing the height of the bench will help target the hamstrings as well. Positioning your hands wider during push-ups will target the upper back muscles slightly and your outer chest muscles. Placing your hands closer together almost in a triangle position will result in higher engagement of your triceps.
5. Use free weights
Jordan D. Metzl, M.D., a doctor of sports medicine and author of the “The Exercise Cure” recommends that you use free weights. Machines only move in one plane, whereas you train your body for every day movements with free weights that provide you better balance. Free weights allow you to move the way your body moves and they are easier to use.
It is your choice if you want to improve your workout, as there are many options available. Group fitness training classes offer the most benefits for many individuals and many individuals also reap great benefits when working alone. You should keep in mind to get proper sleep, drink lots of water, improve your nutrition and even change your workout music if one of your goals it to improve your workout performance.
Content supplied by Nate Roberts
3 tops tips to improve your quality of life with a long-term health condition
It is estimated over a quarter of the population in England (15.4 million people) has a long-term condition such as diabetes, coronary heart disease or chronic lung disease and an increasing proportion of these people have multiple conditions.
Although there is a wealth of information available to patients with long-term health conditions, the advice can seem overwhelming and healthcare providers don’t always have time for patients to answer all those niggling questions that can make a difference to your life.
Wendy Norton, Head of Health Coaching at My Clinical Coach guides people with long-term health conditions on how to live a healthy and more fulfilling life. Here she provides 3 top tips:
Stop Smoking
Although smoking rates have declined over past decades, smoking is still the biggest cause of preventable illness and premature deaths in the country, accounting for almost 80,000 deaths in England a year.
For people with long-term health conditions such as diabetes and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) smoking exacerbates symptoms and significantly decreases quality of life. If you have COPD and are still smoking, then the single most important way in which you can help yourself feel better is to stop! In fact, research suggests that if you can stop smoking for 28-days, you are five times more likely to be able to quit for good.
Take Control of Your Condition
Be an informed patient and learn as much as you can about your condition. The more you know about your health, the more you will feel able to control the condition rather than letting it control you. A patient who has regular support that understands what they’re going through and has the right tools to help, is proven to be more successful than a patient doing it on their own.
I have found that many patients we coach want to be more involved in their care, as it gives them a greater sense of control and improves their quality of life. Patients often highlight how self-management of their condition not only improves their physical health but also their mental wellbeing. So, take control of your health and choose what is right for you!
Follow a Healthy Diet
Knowing the foods that can be a problem for you is crucial. For those with COPD, certain foods increase the risk of bloating and gas which can make it more difficult to breathe. Apples, stone fruits (peaches and nectarines) and melons may be healthy but can cause bloating, so it is vital to know how your body works when planning your diet.
Never skip breakfast as this can lead to over-eating later in the day which can ruin your food plan and cause your blood sugar levels to rise, which can be harmful to people with diabetes. I would recommend aiming for three servings per day of fibre fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains.
Alternative Medications That Can Improve Ailments And Quality Of Life
During the past few years, the media has helped to make consumers aware of the dangers of prescription medications. While these drugs may offer temporary relief, they also come with risks. And, those risks may last for an extensive period of time. They can lead to life-altering addiction. At the same time, the short-term side effects should not be ignored. If you wish to alleviate your suffering without taking the risks, you will want to check out the list of alternative medications below.
Yoga
While Yoga isn’t a medication in the traditional sense, many experts agree that this form of exercise can be therapeutic in various ways. Yoga and meditation can help to put the patient’s mind at ease, while also alleviating their pain and anxiety. In fact, it is believed that yoga can aid with a variety of ailments, including painful joints, anxiety and even depression. And, yoga can help the patient burn calories and lose weight. Therefore, partaking in yoga is truly a win-win situation. Just make sure you ease into yoga slowly, because some of the poses can take years to master.
Palmidrol
Over the past few years, more and more consumers have decided to begin consuming supplements on a daily basis. This can be a wise choice. Supplements help to provide the patient with the nutrients that they may not obtain through their traditional diet. This is why many have added Palmidrol to their diets. This specific chemical has been used for many years and it has been known to offer relief for diabetic pain, lower back pain and Sciatica pain. Many of the supplements that contain this chemical are capable of protecting the user against many ailments.
Generally, they can help the patient combat depression, allergy problems, pain, and even eczema. Those that want to boost their immunity, while also alleviating pain, should definitely consider adding this type of supplement to their daily diet.
Homeopathic Treatments
Homeopathy is somewhat of a controversial subject. Many people believe that homeopathic treatments are nothing more than a fraud, but others swear by them. In homeopathy, it is believed that substances, which cause symptoms in a healthy individual, can actually cure those same symptoms for someone who is sick. This form of alternative medicine has been around for many years and was originally created by Samuel Hahnemann in 1796. Again, some believe that homeopathy medications are nothing more than quackery.
Nonetheless, these medications generally contain very few active ingredients. Therefore, they will be safe and they may offer relief to some patients. Experimenting with them for yourself is recommended, since each chemical can impact each patient differently.
Others
And of course, you should remember that there many more alternative medicines. Acupuncture and kinesiotherapy have both gained in popularity over the past few years. While both treatments still have a lot of critics, many people believe sincerely that they have provided them with relief. Since neither has any notable side effects, the risks are minute. Therefore, each patient should experiment, until they’re able to find the best solution for their own unique problem. This is something that is not possible with prescription medications, since almost all of them come with negative side effects.