Category: General

If you're not shocked, prepare to be. An article posted on MSN.com discusses the United States current obesity levels and our related health care tab.

The study showed that "nearly twice as many U.S. adults are obese compared to European, a key factor leading Americans to suffer more often from cancer, diabetes and other chronic ailments. Treatment of these and other chronic diseases adds between $100 billion and $150 billion to the annual health care tab in the U.S."

In my opinion smoking, drinking, fast food and sedentary jobs/lifestyles all contribute to our large and growing health care problem in this country.

The study also found that The United States spends significantly more per capita than any European country on health care, about $2 trillion annually, or 16 percent of the gross domestic product.

Is this disturbing trend a result of our unhealthy behaviors? I think so!

Other disturbing trends found that Among men, 71 percent are overweight, including 31 percent who are obese. Among women, 62 percent are overweight, including 33 percent who qualify as obese.

Three hundred thousand people die each year due to obesity-related causes, making it the second leading cause of death after smoking.

Among boys ages 2 to 19, 18 percent are overweight or obese. Among girls ages 2 to 19, 16 percent are overweight or obese.

So what's the solution? Call me at 651-402-8847 and we'll have a long discussion!

I'm making the assumption that everybody has either watched, read or heard of NBC's reality T.V. show "The Biggest Loser". The show utilizes extreme training methods from celebrity trainers such as Kim Lyons, Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels.

Now in the hit shows fourth season, it's helped motivate dozens of contestants and thousands of in-home viewers to lose weight. Last seasons winner dropped over two hundred pounds over the course of 6 months. This dramatic weight loss is almost unheard of in this given amount of time.

I take my hat off to those who achieved so much with so little time. But by now, for those of you reading this probably know me well enough to assume I've got another opinion about this show.

In the last three years I've heard more and more people talk(complain) about not losing weight fast enough. They think "if the contestants on the Biggest Loser can do it, then why can't they?"

Think about how many years an obese person suffered mentally with their weight loss battle. How many times did they start an exercise program, diet and then fail. Clearly the answer to losing the weight and keeping the weight off lies in a psychological paradigm shift.

For example, the start of this years season of The Biggest Loser brought back the familiar faces of last years contestants. Many of these contestants shown only 6 months after last years grand finale, came back 25-50 pounds heavier.

I think that the reality to instant weight loss is: it doesn't work! Focus on one day at a time, doing all the little things that help you get closer to your desired end result.

Instant gratification gets you no where!

Category: Diet/Nutrition

Recently I witnessed something that I couldn't comment on at the time, but had to rant and rave about to somebody. At the studio I work at I saw an individual (no names mentioned), warming up for their workout on an elyptical, drinking a diet coke.

A couple things came to mind: When did this person ever hear that drinking caffeine before an intense workout is a good thing to do, and why hasn't this person ever been told not to drink caffeine before a workout!

In today's society soda and energy drink companies have created a billion-dollar industry by advertising good looking men and women working out while consuming caffeinated beverages. This gives us, the consumers the assumption that this is good for us, only enhancing one's performance.

This is not the case. It's true that caffeine and the mass amounts of sugar dumped into these products does increase an individuals energy level. However, it's a fact that caffeine is a diuretic, which increases urine production and causes dehydration.

Does anybody remember the death of Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Corey Stringer? I don't think I need to say anything more.

O.K. I will.....hydrate your body with water and/or gatorade before a sporting event or working out. If it's energy you need before a workout then consume something natural!

Category: Diet/Nutrition

OK, so I'm guilty of this as well, so I shouldn't be complaining.....but, I'm going to anyway.

Every year I go to the state fair to enjoy some of the best people watching Minnesota has to offer and to enjoy countless items plastered onto a stick and then deep fried. Truely some of my greatest people watching experiences at the fair have involved me riding the bus to the fair with the honest intention of eating only one item on a stick.

Every year I tell myself not to induldge on anything on a stick costing more than four dollars. This option should help me leave feeling very good about myself and with a few extra dollars in my pocket to think about giving to the homeless man under the bridge. But do I listen to myself? Do I ever have any extra change to give the homeless man pan handeling underneath the many bridges I pass on the way back to the bus stop. No, I don't listen to my brain, only to my stomach. Then leaving the fair several hours later, on the same bus, only to miss my stop because I fell asleep holding a half eaten stick of glutony, do I realize that I just DESTROYED the last month of my diet in a single afternoon.

This fall I'm determined to keep my promise. The lesson to be learned is: Eat to fuel your body, not to destroy it!

I challenge you!