This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Wayland Resident Wins "Lifestyle Change Awards" Presented by BIDMC and the AHA

BOSTON–One Wayland resident, Dr. Jonathan Smith, was among the winners of the first-annual Lifestyle Change Awards recently presented by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the American Heart Association (AHA). The awards, presented at a ceremony at BIDMC, recognized Boston-area individuals who have made dramatic lifestyle changes that have improved their heart health.

Dr. Smith is a physician at BIDMC-Wayland who lost twenty pounds by keeping up with a regular gym routine and eating healthy portion sizes.

“We think it’s important to recognize individuals who, thanks to their successful commitments to make healthy lifestyle changes, serve as role models to others,” said Kamal R. Khabbaz, MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at BIDMC and Co-Chair of BIDMC’s 2014 Walking Campaign along with Susan Wornick, former anchor of WCVB-TV5.

Find out what's happening in Waylandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to Dr. Khabbaz, there were a significant number of nominees, and almost all of them stressed the importance of walking as part of their exercise routines.

According to the AHA, some of the benefits of walking include improving blood pressure and blood sugar levels, maintaining body weight, and lowering the risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, and type 2 diabetes. For more information on walking, visit the AHA’s “Start Walking Now” website.

Find out what's happening in Waylandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

About the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

The Cardiovascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center combines cardiology, cardiac surgery and vascular surgery in a structure designed to facilitate collaboration across disciplines. The CVI delivers outstanding outcomes, easy access, and better service, earning BIDMC recognition from U.S. News & World Report as one of the best 100 hospitals or a distinguished hospital in heart care and surgery since 2006. Community-based cardiologists and vascular surgeons at convenient offices in Massachusetts and New Hampshire provide a wide range of services and, when advanced care is needed, refer patients to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. For more information, visit www.bidmc.harvard.edu/CVI.

 

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit www.heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?