Disease prevention

You Better Sit Down For This!!

on December 15th, 2011 by Rob

O.K.- Weird article a couple of days ago. But here is the deal.

Some really smart guys got together and did a study on sedentary lifestyles. Seems like heart disease is not the only thing we have to worry about.

It seems that sitting for long stretches of time- work, or like me in the car- or even at home in an easy chair, increases your cancer risk. Even if you work-out regularly.

But, here is the good part—- Even breaks as long as one minute can help lower the risk.

That means that once an hour, even if it is for just a minute— Get up!! Get moving!!! (walk to the water-cooler, pace during a phone call or go see a colleague instead of sending an e-mail) and Get a Better Life!!!!!!

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Denmark institutes the “Fat Tax”

on October 19th, 2011 by Rob

O.K.- This headline was difficult to ignore. And, it is not a tax on fat PEOPLE, it is literally a tax on FAT.

As it turns out, the Danes already have a tax that is higher on sugar, chocolate and soft drinks – and this is not that unusual. There are several European Union countries that have these taxes. However, it appears that Denmark is the first to tax the fat. Now, the information that I have does not explicitly say that the end user will be taxed directly (I am talking about the guy that goes in to eat a burger)… but you can bet it will be passed along.

It is not very much. The tax translates to about $2.90 per kilo (2.2 lbs) of fat… primarily saturated fat. The health minister in Denmark says that this is an important step towards increasing the life expectancy of Danes. Right now they are a little below the European Union at 79 years. (Just as a side note, they also have a tax on tobacco).

I don’t know if these work. I mean, it seems like it might in theory. However, the research that I have done suggests that the price of a hamburger will go up about 0.15. I am not sure that that would discourage me. However, to the entrepreneur  that is purchasing his hamburger meat for his restaurant— and the fatty meat just got a little more expensive per pound— don’t know, might work.

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It’s getting worse!

on September 20th, 2011 by Rob

I have a stunning statistic for you today…. by the year 2030, we are looking at an obesity rate of 45% to 52%! That is astounding. Right now in the U.S. we have an average rate of about 30%-33%- on a good day. This speaks volumes about the rate at which we are becoming a super-sized nation. The trend is not good. Obesity is defined as someone that is roughly 30lbs overweight. Right now in the U.S. we have about 99 million people that are overweight. This trend would increase that to about 164 million. Nice.I

You think we have health care problems now. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. This will be an epidemic that no one can fix. We have to stop this ride NOW if we want to avoid the all the heart disease, cancer and type two diabetes that is to come. The check is in the mail.

I think that this is due to a couple of factors. I think most important of these is the sedentary life-style that most of us live and the high-calorie junk food that surrounds us. LITERALLY SURROUNDS US! It is everywhere. And we are starting to get our kids involved too.

Now, I am not going to be hypocritical… I will tell you that I occasionally take my kids to McDonald’s. They like it and they like the toys. But this is very limited. I think that we can make so much progress as a society and individually if we would just eat at home more. Whole grains, fruit and vegetables are going to be the key ingredients of this battle.

On top of that, it is critical that we Get up!! Get moving!! And have a better life!!!

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How Fast Can You Do It??

on August 5th, 2011 by Rob

Can your stop watch predict your demise??

Well, I don’t know ,that… but it can predict how healthy you will be before that demise.

O.K.- here is the deal. A bunch of really smart guys (there are a lot of them- I read about them all the time) at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School- got together and studied 66,000 people (aged 20-90) and determined that:

A. How fast you can run a mile is a good predictor of future heart problems.

B. This speed is just as good of a predictor (for middle age folks) as is high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

The level to which you are in good health is indicated by how far under a 10minute mile you can run.

If for example, you are 50 years old and you can run an 8 minute mile… there is about a 10% chance that you will have future heart problems. (This goes up to a 9 minute mile for women)

If it takes you more than 10 minutes (or 12 for women)… your chances of heart problems go up THREE TIMES!!!

The point here is that when I say that you can lose weight just walking… that is true. But if you want heart health, then you need to RUN!!!! DON’T WALK!!!!

Get Up!!! Get Moving!!!! (FASTER!!) and Have a Better Life!

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It’s Your Kids Marty… Something Has to be Done!

on July 8th, 2011 by Rob

I think I got that quote right from Back to the Future… but, if I didn’t- Let me set the scene.

The professor comes back from the future to tell Marty McFly that he has met his children and SOMEHTING HAS TO BE DONE!! I bet they were overweight.

As a matter of fact, the statistics that I am hearing say that the chances are good.

The CDC in Atlanta estimates that one in three kids will develop diabetes sometime in their lives. This is staggering. Diabetes is the number one cause of strokes in this country.

So, something has to be done about OUR kids. What can we do. Well, I have some ideas.

1. Get ‘em involved. Sign them up for a sport. Kids watch too much TV. Bottom line. Get them out of the house doing SOMETHING. Oh, and if you can’t afford all the sports equipment… how about running?

2. Get ‘em involved… with the cooking!! Kids will be more likely to eat something that THEY cooked. Also, get them OUTSIDE and get their help with a garden. We grow tomatoes. Grow these and kids will eat them!!

3.Pack snacks for kids- when Beth and I go on a road trip… which we do fairly often because her parents live two states away- pack healthy snacks. This way we can stay away from the fast food- oh, and I get to “make good time”

Remember, plan some things out. If you just take a few minuets to plan, then you won’t be caught with nothing to eat and end up stuffing french fries down the birds.

Get up! Get moving!! Help your kids have a better life!!!

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OMG! I Feel So Old!!

on April 28th, 2011 by Rob

I wish I could take credit for this… because it is so true. I heard the other day that- “A man will spend his youth trying to make his fortune. Then he will spend his old age trying to regain his youth.”

However, I will say this. It is NEVER too late to exercise.

When I was chosen for the People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge I knew it was not too late. I have said many times that I felt very fortunate that I had not had any ill effects from my obesity. But I will tell you that the check was in the mail. It is a good thing that I started working out when I did.

The thing is, no matter when you start- you almost immediately reap the benefits of exercise and watching your diet. Vascular function will improve… blood pressure will improve and countless other benefits will begin.

It is never too late to Get up!! Get moving!! And Have a better life!!- Even if your 99!!

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Cost of Obesity- $4Billion

on March 15th, 2011 by Rob

Holy Schnikies!!!!! Well, I don’t even know what to say.

I guess we better get on the ball and lose some weight Mississippi. Yep…. that is right, this is the total for our state ALONE!! That is even more out of control.

These estimates are based on a percentage of Medicaid and Medicare costs. The bottom line here is that we (the taxpayers) will have to pay this.

Obesity now kills more people than cigarettes— and contributes to a whole host of diseases and conditions: heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart attack, kidney disease and sleep apnea- just to name a few. All these things cost money— in addition to killing you. It is going to cost a lot of money to treat you before you die.

Get up!! Get moving!!! Have a better life!!! Don’t be a drain on the tax-payers of the state or the country. Hey- don’t be a drain on your family (co-payments anyone?!?!?!?)

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What the Hell??

on January 4th, 2011 by Rob

Did you see this??

I think she is going to eat that little girl next!!

What in the world is she thinking? Read the article… she INSISTS that she is healthy!! I just don’t see how that could be. There is a picture of her in one of those little “rider” things at Wal-Mart!! She can’t even WALK to buy all the food she wants!!!

Now I get it! Sometimes when we start putting people in categories, then it all becomes political. But I think that she defiantly has a BMI issue. She needs to slow down a bit! Just a bit.

Read the article HERE.

Get up!! Get moving!! Have a better life!!!!   A better life than she does!!

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STRESSED=DESSERTS

on December 27th, 2010 by Rob

Have you ever noticed that these two words are palindromes? I had… I have been painfully aware for quite some time.

It always seems that when I get stressed… I seem to eat more desserts.

Additionally, the holidays are always a time of stress. At least they are for me. Its not that my family is that strange, its just that the expectations of the holidays can exacerbate the differences that we might have with these people. Kinda like a vacation…. maybe that is why they call this Christmas vacation. As a matter of fact, it reminds me of the movie- now that I am sitting here thinking about it. It’s not that you don’t love these people…. it’s just that they can drive you up the wall.

Well, here is the thing about stress… and desserts for that matter. Both are not really that good for you. Here is the scoop!

When you are stressed, the fight or flight portion of your brain is being activated. The situation is triggering the production of hormones in your body- that give you a heightened sense of awareness and boosts your energy. The thing is, this fight or flight response was NEVER meant to be “turned on” for long periods of time…. much less for two weeks while your in-laws are staying at your house!!!

Stress can lead to several problems. Headaches (my most common issue with stress) are very common. Also, stress can cause high blood pressure, loss of energy, inability to sleep (noted on the sign above) and sometimes can include chest pain and shortness of breath.

However…. and this is the biggest point I want to make. Do you know what the best way to beat stress is? Easy- exercise. I have seen this first hand that when I am feeling my crappiest, when I am the most worried about things…. exercise helps. Not only does it get my mind off of things, but it also makes me feel better. When I get off of the treadmill, or when I get through in the weight-room, I can just tell that my stress is diminished.

So, in order to beat stress—– don’t eat dessert. Get up! Get moving! Have a better life!!

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Diet Can Fight Diabetes

on December 18th, 2010 by Rob

I can't believe that Mississippi isn't in first place

This thing has gotten SO out of control. Do you realize that a full ONE THIRD of kids born this year will develop Diabetes in there lifetime. ONE THIRD. Unbelievable.

I wrote about Diabetes a couple of weeks ago and the best way to fight this disease is to EXERCISE. However, I read something recently that made me think. Maybe it’s not all exercise. Maybe there is a diet portion of this equation as well.

THEY say—- THEY ARE SMART AREN’T THEY—- that for every 5% of calories that you consume from protein instead of from carbs or fat that your risk of developing Diabetes increases by 30%. Holy Cow!!! as one of my favorite big guys of all time used to say!

Of course, the more meat you eat— the more you will weigh and the higher your blood pressure will be. Of course the answer is to eat less meat. THEY have done studies that suggest that a low-fat, vegan diet is as effective as oral medications in lowering blood sugar.

Now, I am not saying that I am about to give up on my chicken wings and beer. Not going to happen. If I am going to die anyway, I might as well die happy. But the point is—- before I die, I want to have as high a quality of life as possible. I can assure you that the high quality of life I am talking about does not include Diabetes.

So, eat right (less meat, more vegetables) Get up! Get moving! Have a better life!!!

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