Bike to Work week is May 13-17, 2013. Whether for health, environmental, economic, or social reasons, bicycling can be a great way to go places. CDR Arthur M. Wendel, MD, MPH is Team Lead of the Healthy Community Design Initiative at CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health. He has been using his bicycle as a major means of transportation for many years. Read more to learn how he incorporates physical activity into his daily routine by riding his bike to work.

Bike lanes and paths make biking easier and safer.

“My life is too busy!”

“I just don’t have time!”

Ever heard these reasons for not exercising regularly—or have you even said them yourself? Many of us live busy lives with multiple responsibilities at work, home, school, and elsewhere. But would improving your health or saving your life be reason enough to figure out some way to add exercise to your life?

Regular physical activity can prevent many of the leading causes of death and disability, but too few people exercise regularly. Walking and biking are good ways to add regular exercise to your life. But you may still wonder how you can find time. What if I told you that you can incorporate physical activity into your life as part of your daily routine? How about walking or biking to work or to run errands?

CDC’s Healthy Community Design Initiative (HCDI) is dedicated to creating neighborhoods where health and safety are priorities. In this blog post, HCDI staff member Dee Merriam explains how communities can provide more opportunities for exercise right where people live.

Can exercise be convenient?

Getting into the habit of exercising can be a challenge. But this year I promised myself I would become more active and get more exercise. We all know that physical activity helps us live longer by reducing our risk from leading killers like stroke, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some types of cancer. And now, as the weather gets warmer, I can begin to exercise outdoors. The easiest activities I can do are walking and biking —these activities are free and don’t require access to a gym.

March is National Nutrition Month. Read about a National Center of Environmental Health study that measured trans fatty acids in blood.

CDC study shows notable decrease in the levels of trans-fatty acids in the blood.

To reduce your intake of trans fatty acids, choose foods with either no trans fats or the lowest amounts of trans fats.

As the old saying goes, you are what you eat. The problem is that sometimes the things we eat can increase the levels of trans-fatty acids we have in our bloodstreams. Trans-fatty acids can increase a person’s “bad” cholesterol levels, or LDL. Researchers indicate higher LDL, or “bad” cholesterol can lead to cardiovascular disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed and used a new method to measure the levels of trans-fatty acids in our blood. Dr. Hubert Vesper, a research chemist in CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), led the development of the new method.

“It’s ok to have MCADD! You can do whatever you want!” says five-year-old Karina Martinez, happily.

Background

People with medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD) cannot burn fat for energy. Our bodies rely on fat for energy when we don’t eat for a while, such as when we miss a meal, or when we sleep. MCADD symptoms range from low blood sugar to coma or even sudden death. But early detection and treatment can save lives.

Success Story

Karina is just one example of a life saved by newborn screening. Because her MCADD was detected during the critical early stage, today she is a healthy little girl.