A new year 2014!

HOLIDAYS ARE CHALLENGING!

HOLIDAY NUDGE...just say'N

Excited to pass my exam! I am a NASM-CPT

DO YOUR BEST AND FORGET THE REST

FIND IT, KEEP IT, GO FOR IT!

Harvest time - REFLECTION

Here's the best Rx for the case of the blahs!

The Premier Online Fitness Company in the Nation

Your WILLPOWER is unmeasurable!

Or - - the joy of discipline and the pain of regret.

The problem is the caboose and we have to figure out what is driving this train!

Obesity - - Disease or Over Nurtured?  The layman’s perspective on a big problem.

The recent announcement of the American Medical Association (AMA) to classify obesity as a disease had me in an uproar.  Being involved with fitness & wellness for about five years now, I was somewhat aghast.  There are many levels to this situation and the pharmaceutical and commercial fallout is another topic all together. My first reaction was on the level of consumption. 

Obesity is an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual’s ideal body weight. Obesity is associated with increased risk of illness, disability, and death. The World Health Organization terms obesity a worldwide epidemic and the diseases which can occur due to obesity are becoming increasingly prevalent.  Obesity is a major public health problem and the leading nutritional disorder in the U.S.  It is responsible for more than 280,000 deaths annually in this country.

I believe we can saturate our nervous system and psyche with repeated abuse of simulants that affect a person down to the cellular level.  Too much salt in your diet will cause hypertension; too much sugar in your diet, diabetes.  These ailments (hypertension and diabetes) have been classified as a disease too.  Genetic factors significantly influence how the body regulates the appetite and the rate at which it turns food into energy (metabolic rate).  A predisposition though does not mean that a person will be obese. Habits and lifestyle can contribute to poor health causing problems. 

A person who continues to smoke may get cancer but smoking is not a disease.  Or the sex addict who continues to have multiple and numerous sex practices will expose themselves to getting a host of diseases.   Addictions can lead to disorders, abnormalities, and disease.  But it doesn’t start off as one. 

My personal conviction on this issue comes from a background of addiction.  I have been sober for over 20 years.  I drank to cope.  Then the coping became a habit.   The habit caused health and emotional problems.  The health problems contributed toward a disease being what is called at the time early stages of liver disease.  Alcoholism contributed to that.  Alcoholism and Heroin usage has been labeled a disease.   I am not born an alcoholic; I may have a pre-disposition because of my environment.  Good news is that the liver is one of the organs that can recreate the cells, rejuvenate, and heal itself.  This has been my case through maintaining a healthy lifestyle and being an active member in a 12-Step program.    Total abstinence or suffer the consequence.  There is a line you don’t cross.  You can’t sort of drink like you cannot sort of be pregnant.  With food addiction, a “slip” is too much of a gray  area and crossing the boundary line leaves too much wiggle and cheating room. 

So this is my view on the AMA’s recent labeling of obesity.  It is a behavior addiction, perhaps disorder, like smoking, sex, gambling, and hoarding.  But, obesity is not a disease nor do I believe anorexia and bulimia should be classified as such.  A person who starves themselves messes with their body chemistry.  Eating too much can and will harm the body creating havoc on organs which may lead to cancer or disease.  One learns to put the utensils down and close the mouth.

We need to deal with the root cause.   It is the war on obesity and not the war on obese people.  As Mark Sisson, fitness expert says - we need a balance, not a diagnosis. On one side is “obesity as a disease,” with patients assuming it’s out of their control and a medical intervention is necessary. On the other side is “obesity as personal failing,” with the obese feeling a deep sense of shame and hopelessness, especially when their willpower fails to deliver them to the promised land.

Also it is entirely possible (and preferable) to reverse obesity without ever seeing a medical professional of any type.  Obesity by definition is therefore NOT what the AMA says it is.  Doug McGuff, MD.

My reading and research has also found that - -the AMA does NOT represent physicians. Less than 20% of physicians are members. The bulk of the AMA’s income comes from the publishing of the CPT and ICD10 manuals that are used by government payers of healthcare (with commercial insurers following suit). The more diseases classified and coded means a more solidly entrenched monetary gain play ground for the pharma-medical-government players.

I just get a bad taste in my mouth about this new AMA announcement.  However I will continue to educate myself on the topic.  The last time I got on a conscious social movement and was passionate about something was air pollution in the early 1990’s.   Sadly, years and years have gone by and still we are paying for the effects of a destroyed environment but minimal progress and success dealing with the causes.

Programs like the Presidential Fitness Awards counsel and Let's Move may offer some hope in curbing the childhood obesity epidemic.  I am favoring the adult healthcare/wellness programs that offer incentives and reduced rates for being healthy or pay higher premium penalties for an unmanageable lifestyle.  As health care reform apexes in 2014, perhaps we may put a little dent in this big problem beyond prescribing a pill or off the rack medical procedure.

 

Focus T-25 I'm loving this new program!

Two days into this program and I am liking the content a lot.  With the cool down, turning off your DVD player, and a few gulps of water to immediately hydrate - -  you are looking at 30 minutes tops.  I like this time frame.  It is easier to schedule and easier to get motivated because you can get your workout done for the day.

IF ONLY....

I'm realistic but visuals are great motivators.  I know I can't turn back the hands of time.  How I would have done things differently is somewhat of a default statement.  It is overused.  My path has led me where I am today.  No regrets.  I am healthy.  My weight and body fat percentage is within the guideline standards for my gender and age.   

Summer approaching...where has the year gone?

It is hard to believe that summer is just around the corner and the year is about half over.  There were major shifts and changes in my life as I reflect back and take a pulse on things.  I had several bouts of sinus ailments, a tweaked back for a few weeks, and an elbow injury.  My countenance went south of the border and got in a blah head space.  I know the importance of exercise and how natural endorphins can assist when your feeling down in the dumps. I had to muster a lot of personal inner motivation to just maintain the basics in the realm of exercising and eating clean. The cyber workout friends and fitness websites I belong to kept me accountable in some respects but in the end I am responsible for my well being.  All is better as I feel I have sling-shot-ted back and in a better space.  We/I am human and we live a life of abundance and we live it with the reality that situations and circumstances happen to challenge us. 

FLAVORFUL, FRESH, AND COLORFUL - - DON'T FORGET YOUR FRUITS.

Nature gives us plenty to choose from.  I enjoy my fruits!

Follow the 80/20 rule. Eat clean 80% of the time for more wiggle room.

I love this photo and posted this pic on my Facebook group.  It speaks volumes!

Bad experience and bad pain.

Ailment of the "Tendon of Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis". It's called Tennis Elbow but most people who suffer from this don't play the game.  More commonly from repetitive motion, I over extended this area in my elbow.  OUCH!

WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH - - TAKE A WALK!

For the past few weeks I had experienced some body fatigue and not up to par because of a head cold and congestion.   My body wanted to do more but my spirit and mind could not get into gear.  At the very least my goal was to get out and walk.  Take some kleenex, stop whining, and get the body moving is what I did.  I am grateful for the many cool tools available for people who want to stay in shape and stay active.  One gadget has been my Fitbit which tracks steps, stairs, movement, and all kinds of activity.  There is an online community who are into their Fitbit and somewhat competitive in getting their steps in.  10,000 steps is the daily goal.  This comes to a little over 2 miles.    Mission accomplished as logged over 12,000 per day. 

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!

We may not be able to fully commit to a daily exercise program.  However, we can do our best to eat clean and eat right on a daily basis.  I believe we must enjoy the fruits of the earth and all the wonderful aspects of food.  I am not a purest or a nutrition fanatic.  Moderation.   If I look at my intake on a daily and weekly basis - - and can conclude I've followed the 80/20 rule, then I have served my body well. 

KICKING OFF 2013!

Les Mills Combat is the latest arsenal to my fitness DVD library.  It is what I will be doing as I launch into the new year.