How is it going being the Superman of health in your own life? It does require a little extra work and planning at first until new habits are established, but it gets easier.
Start this healthy lifestyle change with you. According to Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H., in her blog "Food Politics", nothing is more intimate than food, more personal than food choices. Unless what people are eating is causing them serious harm, don't dream of commenting. Deal with them the same way porcupines make love--Very Carefully!
I, too, have noticed defensiveness regarding diet. Mention being vegan in an offhand way and others feel the need to defend what they eat. I follow the Runners World On-line Forums as I have always been a runner wannabe. There are frequent pitched battles between "Vegi's" and "Omni's". There are never any winners in these battles. People believe what they believe, let the facts be damned.
Just start with you. Just start.
"What if eating healthfully were considered normal?" Marion Nestle
Looking together in the same direction.
Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Waiting for Superman
Up in the sky, look: It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman.
Faster than a speeding bullet,
more powerful than a locomotive,
able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
When I was a kid, Superman was one of my heroes. Have you watched the excellent documentary: "Waiting for Superman"? It is about our failing school system and a small group of educators who are taking it on themselves to successfully create change. They quit waiting for superman because he never came. The current system defends the status quo over educational excellence. America, once a world leader in education, is lagging far behind. This documentary is well worth your time.
I feel that the health of America is failing as rapidly as its education. Western Medicine focuses on disease management, not wellness. It has a vested interest in the status quo.
Superman is not coming to rescue our health, either, folks. We can wait no longer. As a nation we must take back personal responsibility for our health rather than turning it over to others. Wellness is a revolution whose time has come.
This will have to be a grass-roots revolution. Start with yourself. Do your due diligence. Read the research available. Then get angry and do something....anything. Determine the kryptonite in your own life (mine is exercise) and start there. Make informed changes.
Gradually, this will spread person-by-person to your family, friends, co-workers. The status quo is not set in stone. It is malleable. Our health is malleable. It is never too late to start.
As you can tell, I have been thinking about this a lot lately, so I have started with me. My husband agrees, so now we are starting with us. How about you? Who, or what, are you still waiting for? Superman isn't coming. You must become the hero of your own life and take responsibility for your own health. Do one small thing today.
Let's get this wellness revolution rolling.
"I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that, then I realized I was somebody." Lily Tomlin
"Status quo, you know, that is Latin for "the mess we're in."" Ronald Reagan
Faster than a speeding bullet,
more powerful than a locomotive,
able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
When I was a kid, Superman was one of my heroes. Have you watched the excellent documentary: "Waiting for Superman"? It is about our failing school system and a small group of educators who are taking it on themselves to successfully create change. They quit waiting for superman because he never came. The current system defends the status quo over educational excellence. America, once a world leader in education, is lagging far behind. This documentary is well worth your time.
I feel that the health of America is failing as rapidly as its education. Western Medicine focuses on disease management, not wellness. It has a vested interest in the status quo.
Superman is not coming to rescue our health, either, folks. We can wait no longer. As a nation we must take back personal responsibility for our health rather than turning it over to others. Wellness is a revolution whose time has come.
This will have to be a grass-roots revolution. Start with yourself. Do your due diligence. Read the research available. Then get angry and do something....anything. Determine the kryptonite in your own life (mine is exercise) and start there. Make informed changes.
Gradually, this will spread person-by-person to your family, friends, co-workers. The status quo is not set in stone. It is malleable. Our health is malleable. It is never too late to start.
As you can tell, I have been thinking about this a lot lately, so I have started with me. My husband agrees, so now we are starting with us. How about you? Who, or what, are you still waiting for? Superman isn't coming. You must become the hero of your own life and take responsibility for your own health. Do one small thing today.
Let's get this wellness revolution rolling.
"I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that, then I realized I was somebody." Lily Tomlin
"Status quo, you know, that is Latin for "the mess we're in."" Ronald Reagan
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
A Day Without Sunshine....
Have you been having really weird weather this year, too? It has rained daily for 10 days now. That never happens in Colorado. We are thankful, and our plants and lawn are thankful, but what is going on?
"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." Steve Martin
You have probably seen this you-tube video called Ben Does Life, by Ben Davis. When lacking motivation I re-watch it. It is great. It gives me hope for me.
http://vodpod.com/watch/4477902-youtube-my-120-pound-journey-?u=fishbowlamerica&c=fishbowlamerica
"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." Steve Martin
You have probably seen this you-tube video called Ben Does Life, by Ben Davis. When lacking motivation I re-watch it. It is great. It gives me hope for me.
http://vodpod.com/watch/4477902-youtube-my-120-pound-journey-?u=fishbowlamerica&c=fishbowlamerica
Monday, July 11, 2011
Vote with your fork.
Did you read the June 7 AP article about obesity in America? Two Public Health groups released state-by-state statistics on the increase in obesity from 1995 to 2010. In 1995 no state had an obesity rate (defined as a Body Mass Index of 30 or more) greater than 20%. Now obesity is greater than 20% in all states but Colorado, which is at 19.8%. Colorado's current rate of 19.8 % would have been the highest rate back in 1995. One dozen states, mostly in the South, have obesity rates greater than 30%. Mississippi is the worst, because much of the state is poor and rural.
Could it be because in the last 100 years Americans have increased their meat intake from 124#/year per person to more than 200#/year? Or because they increased cheese intake from less than 4#/year to more than 33#/year per person? Americans eat 20# more ice cream per year, each. Soda sizes have gone from 6oz. to humongous big gulps, and there is much controversy about the addition of High Fructose Corn Syrup to sodas and most processed foods.
Our government subsidizes the worst dietary foods, as well. I am tired of paying taxes so others only have to pay $5 for what should be a $30 hamburger. I would love for the government to subsidize the prices of fruits and vegetables.
Grocery stores track your buying patterns with your club card usage. Restaurants note what their customers buy. Vote with your fork.
"The correlation between poverty and obesity can be traced to agricultural policies and subsidies." Michael Pollan
"Obesity now contributes to the deaths of more than 360,000 Americans a year. The incidence of childhood obesity is now at epidemic levels. Alarm bells are going off all over the place. But our government has done virtually nothing." Tom Harkin
"My health journey began as a desperate attempt to win my own battle against obesity, and to avoid, for myself and my siblings, the degenerative diseases that prematurely claimed the lives of our parents." Marilu Henner
Could it be because in the last 100 years Americans have increased their meat intake from 124#/year per person to more than 200#/year? Or because they increased cheese intake from less than 4#/year to more than 33#/year per person? Americans eat 20# more ice cream per year, each. Soda sizes have gone from 6oz. to humongous big gulps, and there is much controversy about the addition of High Fructose Corn Syrup to sodas and most processed foods.
Our government subsidizes the worst dietary foods, as well. I am tired of paying taxes so others only have to pay $5 for what should be a $30 hamburger. I would love for the government to subsidize the prices of fruits and vegetables.
Grocery stores track your buying patterns with your club card usage. Restaurants note what their customers buy. Vote with your fork.
"The correlation between poverty and obesity can be traced to agricultural policies and subsidies." Michael Pollan
"Obesity now contributes to the deaths of more than 360,000 Americans a year. The incidence of childhood obesity is now at epidemic levels. Alarm bells are going off all over the place. But our government has done virtually nothing." Tom Harkin
"My health journey began as a desperate attempt to win my own battle against obesity, and to avoid, for myself and my siblings, the degenerative diseases that prematurely claimed the lives of our parents." Marilu Henner
Saturday, July 9, 2011
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." Lao-Tzu
I have been absent, I know. I have a pinched nerve in my neck, and sitting at the computer and typing are not comfortable. I am icing, using heat packs, and taking anti-inflammatories so am slowly getting better.
I have done some skimming of more health related books. First up: "Disease-Proof Your Child" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. I really wish this book had been available to me 40 years ago, and we would have raised our kids on a totally plant-based diet. He explains how eating right in childhood is the most powerful weapon against developing cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders later in life. He does state that it is never too late to change your diet and start eating right, but that during childhood with its rapid growth is the optimum time.
The next book I read is "21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart" by Neal D. Barnard, M.D. It guides the reader to change to a plant-based vegan diet in 21 days. Weight loss will follow without calorie counting. It includes recipes for several menu items that sound wonderful and I can't wait to try. I am always adding to my non-meat recipe repertoire.
Dr. Barnard is the president of the non-profit Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine. That group offers a 21 day kickstart to a plant-based diet. It is an on-line program, the next one starting on Sept. 5th. Go to http://www.21daykickstart.org/ for more information.
I had previously read "Engine 2 Diet" by Rip Esselstyn, which offers a 4 week program to immerse yourself in a plant-strong diet. Rip Esselstyn is the son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn who, as chief of surgery at Cleveland Clinic Hospital, researched and proved that a plant-based low fat diet could reverse heart disease and diabetes. Rip was an All-American swimmer in college and was a professional triathlete for 10+ years all while eating plant-strong. While employed as a firefighter and EMT in Austin, TX he converted his Engine 2 firehouse to this diet helping all the Engine 2 firefighters to lose weight, and lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. He then developed this 4 week program to help the Austin community. His book is an easy starting point to change to a plant-strong diet. It includes recipes and a suggested exercise program.
If you are considering changing your diet, or have children and desire optimum health for all of your family, you might consider trying one of the above books. They are all by reputable authors.
Did you notice that the authors use the phrase plant-based or plant-strong diet? The term "vegan" must be outmoded, confusing, or alienating to people. I like the new terminology, though. "Plant-strong" is such a positive phrase. After all, it is all about all the wonderful plant-based things available to us all.
I have done some skimming of more health related books. First up: "Disease-Proof Your Child" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. I really wish this book had been available to me 40 years ago, and we would have raised our kids on a totally plant-based diet. He explains how eating right in childhood is the most powerful weapon against developing cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders later in life. He does state that it is never too late to change your diet and start eating right, but that during childhood with its rapid growth is the optimum time.
The next book I read is "21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart" by Neal D. Barnard, M.D. It guides the reader to change to a plant-based vegan diet in 21 days. Weight loss will follow without calorie counting. It includes recipes for several menu items that sound wonderful and I can't wait to try. I am always adding to my non-meat recipe repertoire.
Dr. Barnard is the president of the non-profit Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine. That group offers a 21 day kickstart to a plant-based diet. It is an on-line program, the next one starting on Sept. 5th. Go to http://www.21daykickstart.org/ for more information.
I had previously read "Engine 2 Diet" by Rip Esselstyn, which offers a 4 week program to immerse yourself in a plant-strong diet. Rip Esselstyn is the son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn who, as chief of surgery at Cleveland Clinic Hospital, researched and proved that a plant-based low fat diet could reverse heart disease and diabetes. Rip was an All-American swimmer in college and was a professional triathlete for 10+ years all while eating plant-strong. While employed as a firefighter and EMT in Austin, TX he converted his Engine 2 firehouse to this diet helping all the Engine 2 firefighters to lose weight, and lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. He then developed this 4 week program to help the Austin community. His book is an easy starting point to change to a plant-strong diet. It includes recipes and a suggested exercise program.
If you are considering changing your diet, or have children and desire optimum health for all of your family, you might consider trying one of the above books. They are all by reputable authors.
Did you notice that the authors use the phrase plant-based or plant-strong diet? The term "vegan" must be outmoded, confusing, or alienating to people. I like the new terminology, though. "Plant-strong" is such a positive phrase. After all, it is all about all the wonderful plant-based things available to us all.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Veg-Fest Colorado
Yesterday we attended Veg-Fest Colorado, a vegetarian festival put on by the Vegetarian Society of Colorado. It was interesting and very well attended. There were booths, free food samples, music performances, cooking demos, Tai Chi and Kung Fu demos, and many remarkable speakers. We learned a lot.
We only listened to 3 of the speakers as 3 hours was about as long as we could sit, but really wish we could have heard more. The speaker most of you may have heard of was Howard Lyman...the "Mad Cowboy". He is a former rancher turned vegan, the man unsuccessfully sued along with Oprah Winfrey by the Texas Cattlemen's Association. Also speaking was Dr. Michael Greger, an internationally recognized general practice physician specializing in clinical nutrition. "He reads every nutrition study published in every journal every year so you won't have to."
A few key points we took away from our day include that 100 million animals are raised and slaughtered in violence in this country every year. 80% of the crops raised in this country are fed to animals---easily enough food to feed all the starving people in the world. We are living beyond the sustainability of our planet, and need to look to history to remind ourselves what happened to the Anasazi in the American Southwest or the residents of Easter Island to see what our future may hold.
For over 30 years there has been a medically-proven method to heal and reverse heart disease, yet many thousands of people continue to die of this disease annually without knowing there was a cure available to them in the form of diet.
Dead cows are no longer fed to cows, or dead sheep to sheep, but they continue to be fed to other animal species and to each other. Did you ever wonder where the 3-4 million euthanized dogs and cats in this country go? Animal food. This isn't done in other countries, only in the USA. Mad cow disease is only one of 100 spongiform disorders in animals, and no one is checking for them in this country, although the tests are available. Every animal is checked in Europe and Japan! There may be a relationship between all of these spongiform diseases and the rapid rise in Alzheimer's Disease in the USA.
The most common cause of adult-onset epilepsy is now due to pork tapeworms which settle in the brains of humans.
Calcium is a mineral....it comes from the earth, as do all minerals. Where do cows get calcium for their milk? Traditionally, from eating grass which grows in the earth. But cows today don't get to eat grass...they live in feedlots and are fed corn and soy and dead animals, so they must be given calcium supplements to have calcium for their milk. Why are humans choosing to take calcium supplements in the form of cow's milk? If you don't get your calcium directly from eating greens (in which form it is absorbed much more efficiently than from cow's milk) then why not at least take a calcium supplement directly instead of relying on the calcium supplements fed to cows.
There is one hopeful fact for our future. Aramark did a national survey and found that 1 of 4 college students desires access to vegan foods. 1 in 4.
We must all determine our own values, and live lives of compassion.
We only listened to 3 of the speakers as 3 hours was about as long as we could sit, but really wish we could have heard more. The speaker most of you may have heard of was Howard Lyman...the "Mad Cowboy". He is a former rancher turned vegan, the man unsuccessfully sued along with Oprah Winfrey by the Texas Cattlemen's Association. Also speaking was Dr. Michael Greger, an internationally recognized general practice physician specializing in clinical nutrition. "He reads every nutrition study published in every journal every year so you won't have to."
A few key points we took away from our day include that 100 million animals are raised and slaughtered in violence in this country every year. 80% of the crops raised in this country are fed to animals---easily enough food to feed all the starving people in the world. We are living beyond the sustainability of our planet, and need to look to history to remind ourselves what happened to the Anasazi in the American Southwest or the residents of Easter Island to see what our future may hold.
For over 30 years there has been a medically-proven method to heal and reverse heart disease, yet many thousands of people continue to die of this disease annually without knowing there was a cure available to them in the form of diet.
Dead cows are no longer fed to cows, or dead sheep to sheep, but they continue to be fed to other animal species and to each other. Did you ever wonder where the 3-4 million euthanized dogs and cats in this country go? Animal food. This isn't done in other countries, only in the USA. Mad cow disease is only one of 100 spongiform disorders in animals, and no one is checking for them in this country, although the tests are available. Every animal is checked in Europe and Japan! There may be a relationship between all of these spongiform diseases and the rapid rise in Alzheimer's Disease in the USA.
The most common cause of adult-onset epilepsy is now due to pork tapeworms which settle in the brains of humans.
Calcium is a mineral....it comes from the earth, as do all minerals. Where do cows get calcium for their milk? Traditionally, from eating grass which grows in the earth. But cows today don't get to eat grass...they live in feedlots and are fed corn and soy and dead animals, so they must be given calcium supplements to have calcium for their milk. Why are humans choosing to take calcium supplements in the form of cow's milk? If you don't get your calcium directly from eating greens (in which form it is absorbed much more efficiently than from cow's milk) then why not at least take a calcium supplement directly instead of relying on the calcium supplements fed to cows.
There is one hopeful fact for our future. Aramark did a national survey and found that 1 of 4 college students desires access to vegan foods. 1 in 4.
We must all determine our own values, and live lives of compassion.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Gel Fuel Recall
My brother's sister-in-law was badly burned last weekend. A gel candle exploded while being refilled. She caught on fire after being splattered with the gel. She is currently in a burn unit with 2nd and 3rd degree burns of her lower legs and one arm. She was fortunate that her torso and head were spared as her clothes were completely burned. She will be okay but has a long road to recovery ahead. That particular hospital has already treated 7 burn victims as a result of this product.
The refills have since been recalled. www.napahomeandgarden.com/GelFuelRecall/
If you know of anyone who uses this or if you use it yourself, please stop and return it, and pass this information on.
Get well soon, Mary.
Today was run/walk day 3; treadmill again. It seems to be going okay, but too soon to judge any results.
I skimmed the book "Biomarkers, the 10 Determinants of Aging You Can Control" by William Evans, PH.D. and Irwin H. Rosenberg, M.D. The goal is to increase your biological age to match your chronological age, to increase your health span to match your life span. The 10 biomarkers of vitality that you can alter are:
1: Your Muscle Mass
2: Your Strength
3: Your Basal Metabolic Rate
4: Your Body Fat Percentage
5: Your Aerobic Capacity
6: Your Body's Blood-Sugar Tolerance
7: Your Cholesterol/HDL Ratio
8: Your Blood Pressure
9: Your Bone Density
10: Your Body's Ability to Regulate Its Internal Temperature
The book encourages regular aerobics, flexibility, and strength-building for everyone to accomplish the above and offers basic instructions for doing so.
"If you rest, you rust." Helen Hayes
The refills have since been recalled. www.napahomeandgarden.com/GelFuelRecall/
If you know of anyone who uses this or if you use it yourself, please stop and return it, and pass this information on.
Get well soon, Mary.
Today was run/walk day 3; treadmill again. It seems to be going okay, but too soon to judge any results.
I skimmed the book "Biomarkers, the 10 Determinants of Aging You Can Control" by William Evans, PH.D. and Irwin H. Rosenberg, M.D. The goal is to increase your biological age to match your chronological age, to increase your health span to match your life span. The 10 biomarkers of vitality that you can alter are:
1: Your Muscle Mass
2: Your Strength
3: Your Basal Metabolic Rate
4: Your Body Fat Percentage
5: Your Aerobic Capacity
6: Your Body's Blood-Sugar Tolerance
7: Your Cholesterol/HDL Ratio
8: Your Blood Pressure
9: Your Bone Density
10: Your Body's Ability to Regulate Its Internal Temperature
The book encourages regular aerobics, flexibility, and strength-building for everyone to accomplish the above and offers basic instructions for doing so.
"If you rest, you rust." Helen Hayes
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)