Saturday, February 26, 2011
Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse...
We have already talked about the statistics of obesity and the rapid inrease in rates of obesity over the last decade. It is now estimated that over 60% of the population of America is overweight or obese! We are teaching these new unhealthy habits to our kids as well! Obesity is contagious and there is new research out that we can infect each other with habits which will lead to weight gain and obesity. BUT, just when I thought it can't get much worse, I picked up the Wall Street Journal on Feb 22, 2011 to read about a new out break of Obesity!! It seams that we have not only infected children with the obesity epidemic but it has also spread to our Pets! The article explained that due to over eating and a lack of exercise there has been a huge increase in overweight and obese dogs and cats which is leading to increased rates of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, kidney failure, high blood pressure and cancer in our furry friends. This all leads to the question...where the hell is PETA when you need them? Where is the public outcry from the celebrities at all these senseless diseases in animals caused by man!?! But have no fear, we are Americans and we will solve this dilemma. The article focused on several potential solutions to this problem. Yes, you can now buy a 'Doggie Treadmill' for somewhere in the range of $375-$999! And you can get a customized meal plan for Fido as well! While I'm a huge fan of creating new businesses, this one is killing me! Really?!? A treadmill for your dog? A special meal plan? How about feeding them LESS? Ok, look, I'm just guessing here, but since the solution to both the human and pet weight problem is to increase exercise and decrease calories, maybe we can take our pets out for a little exercise and get some ourselves! Hurry before PETA comes to call! Actually, I think we need to create a new organization, PETO, People for the Ethical Treatment of OURSELVES! We need to realize that the decisions we are making is not allowing us to live the best life we can live. Remember it is the choices we make that will determine our destiny! Be kind to yourself and those around you, it's contagious.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Oh sure, ask the most difficult question first...
See what you get when you ask for suggestions about blog topics!?! One of the first questions I got was can you talk about Motivation! Motivation would seem to be one of those simple things and yet once you start getting into it you see that it is a very complex issue to tackle. Wouldn't it be great we could motivate ourselves or others with a simple sentence, it must work because we see all the t-shirts that aim to do this very thing. But, it isn't quite that easy now is it. How about those fantastic 'win one for the Gipper!' speeches that must work or watching Rocky for the 1,000th time (who isn't pumped up after that). And yet given our best efforts we launch into a new healthy habit only to watch it slip away. Where the hell is Burgess Meredith when we are fighting the temptation to eat that huge ice cream sundae? "You're a bum, if you give in and eat that ice cream, now get back to the gym!" Let's take on this topic of Motivation one step at a time. What exactly is motivation? What makes someone 'motivated'? Can you motivate someone else? Can someone motivate us?
According to Wikipedia...:Motivation is the driving force which causes us to achieve goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but, theoretically, it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation. According to various theories, motivation may be rooted in a basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or a desired object, goal, state of being, ideal, or it may be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism, selfishness, morality, or avoiding mortality. Conceptually, motivation should not be confused with either volition or optimism.[1] Motivation is related to, but distinct from, emotion." There, that clears every thing up right? Now go out and get healthy! I believe that the answer is in here somewhere and yet needs a little more.
As a basis, I believe that we are all creatures of habit and we like to be comfortable. The extrinsic motivation comes from outside of us, this is where the movies and music and speeches live. Here is some breaking news for you, all of us are DIFFERENT and we respond differently to external motivations. Some people need positive reinforcement while others respond to being challenged or negative reinforcements. I think this is where all the confusion comes from. We have all been told at some point 'you can't do it?' but why do some people here it and give up and say 'yea, you're right, I need to find something more suitable for me' and others like me hear that and say 'oh yea, well, now I will do it, just to prove you wrong!"? Is it genetics? Genetics seem to be the 'cause Du Jor' these days. Anything we are not sure of must be 'genetics'. He is just 'wired' that way, its in his DNA-he can't help it." Which brings up the whole debate of nature vs. nurture (here we go opening up Pandora's Box). Do we act the way we do because of our genetic make up or because of the environment we are raised in or some combination of the two? Make no mistake that genetics dictate our physical size in height and general body shape and other physical traits like skin color, eye color, sex and some diseases that genetically linked. But, the way we act and the behaviors and belief systems we have are all part of us making sense of the world. We spend the first parts of our lives trying to figure this world out and we have plenty of input from parents, teachers, coaches and peers to help us make sense of the things that happen to us and to those we know. When we are presented with a new circumstance we take a look back at our personal history to find a reference point. 'Have I ever been in a situation like this before?' and if so what do I do about it? If not, then what is the closest thing that I can compare it too? And on we go through our lives situation by situation. We store all of our experiences in our subconscious along with all of our reasons, stories and justifications. These are those little voices that constantly reminds us 'you're not good at things like this' or 'this is something we are very good at'. And then when we try something new and things don't go right we hear it again 'See, I told you that you shouldn't do that'. We have taken external or extrinsic feedback and made it intrinsic or internal. The problem with this is that we begin to limit what is possible because we already think we know what is going to happen. How many of you starting on a weight loss plan think, "wow, this is really going to work!!" vs. "none of these ever work but I guess I will try." That is launching into a program from two very different places. The world is full of possibilities and you can attain (almost) anything. (almost because you can't change the genetic stuff, Micheal Jackson excluded). I believe motivation lies in this simple fact. The definition is correct "Motivation is the driving force to accomplish goals" but ONLY if we are willing to pay the price to accomplish those goals and not let the baggage from the past get in the way. Nothing worth having is every easy, if it was everyone would have it. You do need some external support to help get you there and hold you accountable but you have to want it. You have to want it bad enough to not listen to those voices telling you it's not worth it. Let's continue this discussion in the future, there is a lot here to cover.
According to Wikipedia...:Motivation is the driving force which causes us to achieve goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but, theoretically, it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation. According to various theories, motivation may be rooted in a basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or a desired object, goal, state of being, ideal, or it may be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism, selfishness, morality, or avoiding mortality. Conceptually, motivation should not be confused with either volition or optimism.[1] Motivation is related to, but distinct from, emotion." There, that clears every thing up right? Now go out and get healthy! I believe that the answer is in here somewhere and yet needs a little more.
As a basis, I believe that we are all creatures of habit and we like to be comfortable. The extrinsic motivation comes from outside of us, this is where the movies and music and speeches live. Here is some breaking news for you, all of us are DIFFERENT and we respond differently to external motivations. Some people need positive reinforcement while others respond to being challenged or negative reinforcements. I think this is where all the confusion comes from. We have all been told at some point 'you can't do it?' but why do some people here it and give up and say 'yea, you're right, I need to find something more suitable for me' and others like me hear that and say 'oh yea, well, now I will do it, just to prove you wrong!"? Is it genetics? Genetics seem to be the 'cause Du Jor' these days. Anything we are not sure of must be 'genetics'. He is just 'wired' that way, its in his DNA-he can't help it." Which brings up the whole debate of nature vs. nurture (here we go opening up Pandora's Box). Do we act the way we do because of our genetic make up or because of the environment we are raised in or some combination of the two? Make no mistake that genetics dictate our physical size in height and general body shape and other physical traits like skin color, eye color, sex and some diseases that genetically linked. But, the way we act and the behaviors and belief systems we have are all part of us making sense of the world. We spend the first parts of our lives trying to figure this world out and we have plenty of input from parents, teachers, coaches and peers to help us make sense of the things that happen to us and to those we know. When we are presented with a new circumstance we take a look back at our personal history to find a reference point. 'Have I ever been in a situation like this before?' and if so what do I do about it? If not, then what is the closest thing that I can compare it too? And on we go through our lives situation by situation. We store all of our experiences in our subconscious along with all of our reasons, stories and justifications. These are those little voices that constantly reminds us 'you're not good at things like this' or 'this is something we are very good at'. And then when we try something new and things don't go right we hear it again 'See, I told you that you shouldn't do that'. We have taken external or extrinsic feedback and made it intrinsic or internal. The problem with this is that we begin to limit what is possible because we already think we know what is going to happen. How many of you starting on a weight loss plan think, "wow, this is really going to work!!" vs. "none of these ever work but I guess I will try." That is launching into a program from two very different places. The world is full of possibilities and you can attain (almost) anything. (almost because you can't change the genetic stuff, Micheal Jackson excluded). I believe motivation lies in this simple fact. The definition is correct "Motivation is the driving force to accomplish goals" but ONLY if we are willing to pay the price to accomplish those goals and not let the baggage from the past get in the way. Nothing worth having is every easy, if it was everyone would have it. You do need some external support to help get you there and hold you accountable but you have to want it. You have to want it bad enough to not listen to those voices telling you it's not worth it. Let's continue this discussion in the future, there is a lot here to cover.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
7 Health Factors for Longevity
Do the simple choices we make each day really have an impact on our life? Well let's take a little quiz and find out. How many of the following do you do on a regular basis?
Calculated Age
So back to our original question, "Do the simple choices we make each Day impact our Lives?" I think you can now see a resounding YES!! The one I always like to point out is the 60 year old who does 0-2 of these things, they have a health age over 80!! There is another American Habit than has major impact on the length of our lives as well, TV. Australian researches last year concluded that watching over 4 hours of television per day would shorten the average persons life 4 years! So if the average life expectancy is 78 years, it is 74 years for someone watching more than 4 hours of TV per day. So is 50 the new 30? Only if you do these 7 things!
- Sleep 6.5 to 9 hours per night
- Don't eat unhealthy food between meals
- Eat Breakfast regularly
- Maintain proper body weight
- Exercise regularly
- Moderate to no use of alcohol
- Don't smoke or use tobacco
Calculated Age
| Habits 0-2 | Habits 3 | Habits 4 | Habits 5 | Habits 6 | Habits 7 | |
| Current Age 20 | 34.3 | 27.4 | 20.5 | 18.9 | 15.8 | 10.6 |
| Current Age 30 | 46.9 | 39.1 | 33.0 | 29.4 | 25.3 | 18.9 |
| Current Age 40 | 59.4 | 50.7 | 45.4 | 39.9 | 34.8 | 27.1 |
| Current Age 50 | 72.0 | 62.4 | 57.9 | 50.3 | 44.3 | 35.3 |
| Current Age 60 | 84.5 | 74.0 | 70.4 | 60.8 | 53.8 | 43.2 |
| Current Age 70 | 97.1 | 85.7 | 82.8 | 71.3 | 63.2 | 51.8 |
So back to our original question, "Do the simple choices we make each Day impact our Lives?" I think you can now see a resounding YES!! The one I always like to point out is the 60 year old who does 0-2 of these things, they have a health age over 80!! There is another American Habit than has major impact on the length of our lives as well, TV. Australian researches last year concluded that watching over 4 hours of television per day would shorten the average persons life 4 years! So if the average life expectancy is 78 years, it is 74 years for someone watching more than 4 hours of TV per day. So is 50 the new 30? Only if you do these 7 things!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Let the games begin...
The wait is over! The clients have signed up, metabolic tests have been done and continue to be done, meal plans are being posted, training groups begin meeting...it can all only mean one thing...the next 5 Ton Weight Loss Challenge has begun and we have another enthusiastic group of people beginning the journey to a healthier life. For those of you who have been through the Metabolic Test, you know have a better idea of how your body functions. It is an amazing test, that done properly, gives us a lot of information about how your body utilizes energy (in the form of kcal or calories). Having utilized this test for several years, it amazes me that someone would try to go on a weight loss plan without having the information of this simple test. Granted you have to sit still for 10-15 minutes and breath through a tube (que the druel) and the nose clamp on (not a great look for most) but the information we get is vital to your success. The report shows the correct meal plan for you based on YOUR metabolism, the guess work is removed. So having utilized this program successfully now for two years, the one thing we know is that most people who are trying to lose weight make one major mistake. Any guesses? They don't eat enough! I heard the collective "WHAT? That can't be possible!! I have always heard..." This is where our typical American Logic fails us. Obviously, if the goal is to burn more calories than you eat then by not eating anything or eating very little would be the way to go, right? Wrong! Yes there is a balance and you have to eat less than you burn if you want to lose weight (3500 kcal = 1 lbs of fat) BUT and this is a BIG BUT (no pun intended) if you reduce your food consumption too low your body will begin to hoard calories. Let's go back to our Hunter/Gather heritage, our bodies don't know when the next meal is going to come and we store extra energy/calories as body fat. Remember our resting energy expenditure (resting metabolic rate) we said that the body burns energy (calories) to keep the body going. There is actually a priority in the body and the brain is at the top followed by some other important organs like the heart and lungs. Although a lot of people act like they don't have a brain or a heart, in reality we all do and yes, it takes energy for your heart to beat and the other systems in your body to continue to function. If the body senses that it is going into starvation then it begins to slow down or will eventually shut down different functions of the body. The body will actually start to destroy tissue to use as fuel and one of the first sources it taps into is the protein of our muscles. So, go on a starvation diet and you can actually decrease your metabolic rate and begin to burn muscle mass. Then when you decide to start eating again you have less muscle mass that burns energy and thus any calories over our new lower metabolic rate is stored as (you guessed it) FAT! So the magic of a weight loss program is to reduce your calorie level enough to start burning fat stores but not so much that your body begins to shut down. Our bodies run on energy (calories are just the unit of measurement) or the fuel we get in the form of food (carbohydrates, fats and proteins). Fats have twice as much calories per gram than protiens and carbohydrates. It is almost like there is a science to this whole thing! So, for those of you on our program and who have done the metabolic test we now know your effective range, don't ruin your progress by thinking "hey, I'm only going to eat part of what they told me, and then I will lose weight faster!" hopefully you now know this is not true.
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