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Viewing 1 - 4 out of 4 Blogs.
One of the things I talk about on one of the weightloss challenge classes is the impact a regular exercise program has on your metabolism and your weight. One of the points I bring up during the class is the comment that it is harder to get your health back once you lose it than to work at maintaining it. This statement is also true for people who do or don't exercise; it is much harder to 'get moving again' once you have slacked off. Let me illustrate by my own example.
I was actually an avid jogger for over 23 years and regularly jogged three to four times a week. But into the 23rd year I was sidelined by one arthroscopic knee surgery, followed by another about two years later on the other knee. Now, that was not going to slow down an old 'trouper' like me, but I did cut down on my distance.
Some time passed. I became involved with a health and wellness company and out of curiosity, decided to see what affect good nutritional products did for my weight and health. So I stopped jogging and actually got fantastic results melting off some extra weight and girth that had formed around my----well you don't need to know that.
First one year went by, then two and before you knew it, I was barely jogging or working out for that matter. I became lazy. As I taught weightloss classes, the very thing I taught about establishing a consistent regular exercise program was the very thing I was not doing. I decided to get going again, in part, to be a better example to the people I teach. And, what better way for me to get focused again? In July, I signed up to be in a 5 K race in October.
Let me tell you, it's been a real challenge getting in shape. For a long time I was very short of breath and very weak and had to stop at a quarter mile. But I plugged on, every other day, which, for my age (not telling) is good. And every time I jogged I pushed just a little, sometimes jogging a little farther, sometimes a little longer. The quarter mile turned into a half mile. The half mile turned into three quarter mile. Two weeks ago I made the two mile mark. I am not doing that consistently yet but I am working at it. I have a little over a month to build to three miles. My goal is to finish the whole 5K without stopping. It will be my small, proud, victory.
I think I wanted to mention my experience here because I feel it is so important to make 'committments' and to 'follow through' when there is something that you feel is very important to you. For some, achieving that desired weight and health is so desired but if it is not backed up by 'committment' and dedicated effort, it is just going to be a pipe dream.
What's your dream? I'll keep you posted on mine. Coach Marji
Tags: Exercise Weightloss Fitness
Dining out and trying to keep your calorie intake within a healthy range can be an overwhelming challenge. With more and more people living hectic lives around their jobs, family and home, it's not surprising that more people turn to some type of food establishment outside of home during the week. That number is not slowing down either. In the 1970's, around 36% of a person's food budget was spent on food outside of the home. That number has shot up to over 48% of the food budget. Along with that increase in dining out is a continued increase in obesity rates in the United States. Researchers at John's Hopkins University determined that between the 1960's and 2004, obesity rates climbed from 13% to 32%. What are some of the factors as it relates to dining out? Well, portion sizes for one, have more than doubled. Many food entrees are all cheesed up, battered and fried with cream sauces thrown over them and scant sign of vegetables. Many entrees at popular restaurants are packing more calories in one meal than a person needs in an entire day. Fast food restaurants are-- well--fast compared to full service restaurants and pack heavy calorie loads and not much balanced nutrition. If you happen to live in an area that has more convenience stores and fast food restaurants and you eat out several times a week, you've probably already packed on quite a few extra pounds. People are making worse choices in this depressed economy as well and choosing to spend their money on huge, fattening portions compared to healthier choices because they need to feel they are 'getting their money's worth'. If you watch TV you may remember a commercial where three young men are given the choice of picking either a 'meaty calzone' or a 'turkey sandwich' for five dollars. Of course they each pick the meaty calzone because they are getting 'more for their money'. Well, that is not all they are getting more of. That meaty calzone is paking over 1400 calories and 66 grams of fat. Compare that to the turkey breast sub at 280 calories and 3.5 grams of fat and it is easy math to figure out why we are in so much trouble with our weight. It's challenge, but definitely possible to make your restaurant meal healthier and less fat and calorie laden. That's where you and what you know must make the difference. There are many websites out there that will give you the calorie counts of the restaurants you eat at. Restaurant dining, for better and worse, is not likely to change in the near future but your food choices can.
Tags: Dining Calories Weightloss
The other day before the start of the Wednesday Weightloss Challenge, I was chatting with one of the challengers. She was telling me that a year ago she weighed in at around 300 pounds. Mind you, this is not a tall woman, maybe about 5 foot 1. Carrying around that much weight on such a small frame is not only unhealthy, it's potentially disastrous in terms of the damage that much excess weight can do to a person's body. She was telling me that she had lost almost seventy pounds from her former highest weight. We were discussing what she did to achieve those results. I asked her "Did you have a moment in your life that changed you? Was there a point in time when you KNEW that you either had to change your life for good or face the very real possibility of bad consequences to your health?". She knew clearly, it was one day when she looked at herself in the mirror and didn't recognize the person staring back at her. At that moment, she knew her life was not on a path she wished to continue walking on. It was also at that moment she made a conscious decision to take another path, one that would lead her to better weight and improved health and vitality. She made a personal committment, got going and hasn't turned back since. She is an example to us all. I mention this because all of us, no matter what we are faced with, have to come to some point in our lives when we not only realize that we do not want to continue on the same distructive path our lives are heading, but we are finally, committed to making real and lasting changes, no matter what challenges come up. To succeed in losing the weight and keeping it off for good, as in anything for that matter, we must not only make the decision we must make change and commit our daily actions to make it happen. You cannot make change if you aren't willing to change your efforts. Enough said. Coach Marji
Tags: Weightloss Challenge
You can't turn on the news on any channel and not hear about Health Care Reform, Medicaid costs and obesity. You can't watch a morning news show without a section on the show dedicated to healthy eating. If you're not noticing all this 'talk' going on, then, you are not paying attention. We have entered a full blown health care crisis which will affect everyone, especially the obese, the unemployed, the elderly, the uninsured and those people whose pockets are going to pay for the care.
Let's talk about medical spending and the rise in obesity rates. It is not a secret that in the United States the obesity rate has swelled to 37% by 2006. One recent study by the Miliken Institute lists overweight and obesity rates as high as 66%. This means that anywhere from one third to two thirds of the people you know right now are overweight. A recent research article published in Health Affairs estimated that in 1998 the costs of being overweight or obese ran as high as $78.5 billion dollars and half of that was financed by Medicare or Medicaid. Since that time their estimates have indicated that medical costs have increased to 10% of all medical spending, rising to 147$ billion by 2008. For example: Medical costs for people with diabetes runs 190.5 billion. And, here's something to think about: The study goes on to say that although not all of these costs are attributable to obesity, excess weight is the greatest single predictor of developing diabetes. So, here we are, paying huge amounts of money to treat the health problems that are associated with obesity. Now, I come from a medical background professionally and my opinion is that the standard in medical practice for so long has been that medicine treats the symptoms of the problem and not so much the cause. And what is the cause? We eat too much food or unhealthy food. 37% to 66% of everyone you know is overweight or obese. We are eating more fat and calories than our bodies need and we are making ourselves very sick as a result. I am glad to see a growing number of physicians taking steps to educate people on better nutritional practices but I am also reminded that in order to truly address the obesity problem in the country, in your neighborhood, at your house and with your friends and family the responsibility to eat healthy and manage weight wisely must lay at the feet of each and every one of us. Coach Marji
Tags: Obesity Medicaid Healthcare
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