We've all heard the mantra, exercise for good health. In fact, exercise, or lack of it, may be the most important factor in avoiding, or surviving and recovering from, the top three killers across developed countries—heart disease, cancer, and stroke. But few of us understand exactly how different forms of exercise work—physiologically speaking—to keep us healthy and prevent or treat disease. Here, two nationally known exercise experts lead a stellar team explaining, in reader-friendly terms, what exercise does to our bodies and how it spurs beneficial biological actions.
Dr. Jennifer A. Baima is a physiatrist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. A physiatrist is a doctor that specializes in exercise management of musculoskeletal pain conditions. A native of the Massachusetts suburbs, Dr. Baima went to her first Patriots game at age five (thanks to her favorite aunt). She initially went for the peanut M and Ms, but now she goes for love of the game.
While at the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Baima cultivated a love of sports medicine as a student athletic trainer. She worked with sports teams both at Tulane University during medical school and Johns Hopkins during residency. She chose to return home after residency. The Fish Center for Women's Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital provides an excellent forum for her continued work on how musculoskeletal problems are different in female athletes. Currently, Dr Baima sees patients at the Fish Center for Women's Health and the Orthopedic and Arthritis Center. She enjoys teaching at Harvard Medical School.
