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Health & Fitness

The Best Health Care of All

Amidst all the squabbling around health care, we've lost track of the simplest ways to better take care of ourselves.

One morning last week I spent about 20 minutes reading newspaper articles about The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), it’s pro’s and cons, glitches, positives and negatives, impact on certain groups and individuals and what it may or may not accomplish (and cost) after it is fully implemented next year.  The Philadelphia Inquirer even had an entire bonus section dedicated to helping the individual consumer “navigate” through the requirements and resources that are now available, complete with enough diagrams, graphs and charts to make you dizzy.  It was confusing, fascinating and overwhelming, but it got me thinking not about the political ramifications (which I’m sure many of you have your own opinions) but on the mind-numbing statistics authored and presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding our nation’s health.  These included the following facts:

  • More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) and approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese.
  • The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
  • $1,026: annual cost of absenteeism per very obese male worker (BMI > 40). $1,262: Annual cost of absenteeism per very obese female worker.
  • Less than half (48%) of all adults meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines.
  • Less than 3 in 10 high school students get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.
  • Inactive adults have a higher risk for early death, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and some cancers.

I’m sure some of you have seen these statistics before and they may or may not be surprising, but to me, every time I hear or read them I just shake my head.  No matter which side of the health care debate you come in on, whatever your political views may be, whether you support or oppose the new law or whether you believe the government should or should not have the right to mandate that every American has health coverage, those numbers aren’t budging and are only getting worse.  But, again, I’m just rehashing statistics from the CDC and I don’t want to focus on that.

As I finished reading those articles last week, I started to think about the simplest, easiest and most efficient things that people could do to try and bring those numbers down.  I’m not talking about joining a gym, getting a trainer, buying P90X or Insanity or training for a marathon, but just everyday activities that you can do almost anywhere, at any time, and with anyone else.  This isn’t about losing weight, burning fat or building muscle, but just thinking about being active, even if you have no interest whatsoever in joining The Y or JCC or taking a Spin Class.  None of these are earth-shattering ideas, but in our hectic lives, simple is sometimes all we have to work with:

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  • Take a walk.  Not a power walk.  Not a walk with wrist weights or ankle weights or anything like that, but just walk.  Walk with a friend, a family member, your dog or yourself.  Walking is not only perfect exercise but also reduces stress and gives you time to yourself to think.  My brain is constantly muddled and filled with random thoughts, but sometimes walking will give those thoughts just a little bit of clarity.
  • Eat Fruits and Veggies?  Good.  Double up!  I don’t need to go into a whole diatribe on the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, but I’ve discovered as I’ve doubled my portions over the last few months I’ve felt ten times better and haven’t (knock on wood) been sick at all since last spring.  If you change your diet in any way it takes some time for it to take full effect, but there is absolutely a connection between what you eat and how you feel, which means you should pay attention to …
  • The Gut/Brain Connection.  Every once in a while I gorge on Pizza or Burgers or Candy or Ice Cream or Pasta, and it tastes amazing and it satisfies every craving in my brain, but sometimes by stomach rebels and my whole body reacts negatively.  I feel full, bloated, and lethargic and I also find it hard to get anything done.  When my stomach is right, my body feels better, I have more energy, I think more clearly and I get a heck of a lot more accomplished.  A “cheat” meal or day is great every once in a while, but focus on a healthy stomach for a few days and see how much better you feel.
  • Even if you can’t exercise, try to move.  Occasionally a client will come in and tell me they haven’t been to the gym in a few days but they’ve been running around like crazy doing errands, cooking and cleaning, fixing things up around the house and getting things done.  I’m all for it, because activity in any way beats sitting on the couch.
  • Volunteer your time and services to others.  According to Adam Grant, a Professor at The Wharton School and author of Give and Take:  A Revolutionary Approach to Success, “the act of giving to support programs strengthens employees’ affective commitment to their organization by enabling them to see themselves and the organization in more pro-social, caring terms.”  Or, as the saying goes in my networking group, “Givers Gain,” both personally and professionally.  No better way to feel better about yourself.
  • Swing on a swing set.  Kind of random, right?  But have you ever swung on one and been just a little out of breath when you were done?  Try leaning back and forth and extending your legs as far as you can both directions, and use your arms to pull yourself the opposite direction.  Core work galore.
  • Go to bed a little earlier than normal.  Just a bit more sleep can make a huge difference.  Like walking, sleep will reduce your stress level and also reduce your craving for junk food the next day.  On those rare nights when I get a good night’s sleep (I’m a horrible sleeper), the difference in how I feel and how much energy I have throughout the next day are truly amazing.
  • Turn off the TV and play with your kids.  Easier said than done, for sure, but every time I throw my little guy around I find new and improved ways to tire myself out.  And as I wrote about last year, using a baby as a workout prop can do wonders for an in-home workout.

Sometimes the simplest, everyday tasks can make us happier and healthier, and if we are all a little happier and healthier those awful numbers from above won’t seem so daunting after all.

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