When It Comes to Health, Ballwin's Little Things Count

There are lots of things we know we should do for our health, but they seem hard. And who wants to do something like that? 

Women's Health Magazine released 101 health tips, most of which are good for both genders- and meant to make health within reach. 

Although there are 101 listed, the Patch talked to several people participating in fitness activities at Castlewood State Park on today's clear, afternoon about the top 10 and whether they were practiced by these health-conscious localites.

The top 10 include:

• protecting hearing by wearing earplugs when exposed to loud concerts or other stimuli and decreasing headphone volume
• finding a workout you enjoy
• not applying mascara in the car
• taking a power nap for less than half hour
• buying sunglasses with UVA/UVB ray protection
• STOP drinking your calories (smoothies, alcohol, soda)
• STOP asking your doctor for antibiotics for most illness
• Use a cast-iron skillet to increase iron in your diet
• Buy shoes meant to address your anatomical and functional deficiencies
• Get health insurance before a big problem arises

Castlewood State Park is known around Ballwin and Ellisville as a good spot to walk, run, play sports or just clear your head. 

Vince Spicolli, 67, of Ellisville was out for a run and wearing some athletic-looking "shades". 

"Oh yeah, these definitely protect from the bad rays," said Spicolli. "Too bad though, I didn't start wearing them until a few years ago. Cataracts run in my family but I didn't give a thought to it when I was younger."

The Mayo Clinic recommends choosing sunglasses that block 99-100% of UVA/UVB rays, and offers several options for doing so. 

Erika Peterson, 29, of Ballwin was joined by Tiffany Montigue, 30, of St. Louis for a hike close to the river. The women both were familiar with all of the recommendations, following some and avoiding others. 

"These shoes and sunglasses definitely aren't meant for health," said Montigue. "But at least I'm here getting exercise in a way I enjoy! And I'm definitely a fan of power naps."

Peterson holds up her bottle of water.

"I used to bring a sports drink, but after calculating my calories burned I found out it pretty much canceled out my workout," she said. "And I quit doing make-up in the car after an incident involving a powder brush."

Kyle Peters, 36, of Ballwin was eating lunch at a picnic table, an MP3 player by his side. Peters confessed to being a cooking and music buff. 

"I'm really bad about watching the volume on my headphones. I love concerts and actually do wear earplugs there," said Peters. "I use a cast iron skillet just for the quality of food, but good to know I may be getting other benefits."