Flu Shots and Danishes

This really is a true story, and for that I'm shocked. (I just couldn't use real names.)

I have a friend who works in health care, at a relatively high profile hospital. He emailed me the other day to tell me that he HAD to get a flu shot for work. I was surprised by his emphasis on HAD, so I called him up to verify. As it turns out his high profile employer was mandating that all employees with face-to-face interaction with patients HAD to get a flu shot within a certain period of time or their employment would be terminated.



Is that even legal? I couldn't believe it.

Then...

I get another email from the same friend. He's at an all day meeting with his employer. Within the email is a photo of danishes, bagels, and muffins being served for breakfast during the meeting. No fruit to be seen, no protein anywhere, just sugar and flour. Later I get the lunch update, mayo based salads served as sandwiches, chips, and cookies. Not even an apple or a simple vegetable tray.



Seriously?

I think message is twisted. Mandate flu shots but serve crap for meals. This employer, and I'm sure many more, have a lot of evaluating to do.

Let's at least try a little bit of this the next time you host an employee meeting (which like the flu shot is also mandatory!)

Who's To Blame?

It's easy for everyone to point the finger at someone else.

It doesn't really matter if we're talking about healthcare, youth obesity, or if it was you or your sibling that broke your mother's favorite vase.

Blame isn't an attraction factor, and is often always someone else's fault.

It's easier to point blame at someone else rather than admit you've made a mistake yourself.

But here's the part we all ought to remember, no one is perfect. I don't care if you think you are, we all have a fault or two, or twenty. We're all bound to make a mistake, or two, or twenty. When it comes down to it, the only time your mistakes are really bad is when you haven't learned from one and it happens again.

So where's the blame lay in the health and fitness world? It's all over the place. infomercials are telling us to buy the new latest and greatest gadget that will change our lives forever, doctors are telling us to do more cardio, mypyramid.gov tells those with an athletic build that they are overweight and possibly obese, and well everyone has a conflicting view point so it's easy to blame everyone else since there are so many options that you don't know what to do.

I'm sure you've also either used the excuse or at least heard, there just isn't enough time, working out costs too much, I'll get back at it next week. Really the only excuse that I'm willing to accept is that you don't know what you're doing. There's too many conflicting view points.

On that topic I will say this, even if you don't know what to do, find someone good who can tell you and show you, but then stick to it, stick to the plan, follow the workout, make good food choices. Some programs are far more effective than others, but the key to most of them is being consistent and compliant. It's really that simple.

There's no blame to be seen if you really give it you're all. You'll see the results for yourself.

The Dreaded Factor

All nutrition, exercise, fat loss, strength training programs require compliance. It's really quite simple, most things will work if you follow and stick to the plan. There are some options that are far greater than others, but that's not what this post is about.

This one is about Compliance and Sabotage.

I think it's safe to say that we're all in agreement that in order to see results you need to follow the plan.

The part we often overlook is the sabotage part. There are two sides to this one too, which makes it even more dreaded.

The first is yourself. For whatever reason, things are going really well, then all of a sudden you fall of the wagon, start slipping on your nutrition, skip a day at the gym. These are things you can fix. Hold yourself accountable.

The second is those around you. It sounds crazy, but I'm sure you've all been out with friends and they give you crap for ordering a salad when everyone else is ordering a burger, or that you chose water over beer. Worse is when you get a mouthful for wanting to hit up the gym before meeting up. These are people who for whatever reason aren't wanting you to succeed. Perhaps it's because they don't think they can do it themselves. While you're on this mission you might need to limit your interaction.

All of the programs I listed above require a supportive environment. It's tough to do that when those around you give you crap for wanting to make a healthy change in your life.

Stay compliant and you will see results.

Avoid sabotage and you'll see those results faster.

Time's A Wasting...

Here we go again...I've heard a bunch more excuses on why people can't fit a workout into their day.

Now it has to do with the kids being out of school, or it's too hot, or not having enough energy at the end of the day.

I can answer those three for you right now...

Take your kids outside to play, they need the fresh air and exercise just as much if not more than you do.

It's been beautiful lately, but even if you're overly sensitive to the sun and heat, most gyms are still indoors and they have the a/c on. If this isn't enough for you then make your workout revolve around swimming.

If you don't have enough energy at the end of the day, try working out first thing in the morning. For many folks, this is the preferred time of day. You can also make sure you are fueling your body with the appropriate nutrition and a decent amount of sleep.

There's always time for a workout, even if it's a short one, something (to an extent anyway) is always better than nothing.

Fresh Fruit in the Summer

Summertime is quite possibly my favorite time of year, not only because of the warm weather, sunshine, beach, and pool, but mostly because of the wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetable taste so much better in the summertime. I make sure to visit the local fruit and vegetable stand a few times a week to pick out my weekly dose of all the local treats.

If you aren't a huge fan of the ever-so-good-for you fruits and vegetables, try giving them a chance in the summertime. You'll be amazed at how sweet and flavorful they are.

Fruits and vegetables are great additions to dinner meals especially grilled or added in as a stir fry, and with having so many options in the summer, you never get bored of what you're eating.

What are some of your favorite summer fruits and vegetables?

Acceptance...

In case you haven't gathered I'm still fired up about the Fat Acceptance Movement.

At the bottom of this post you'll find another link, the one that Erica referenced, about the Fat Acceptance Movement.

I still shake my head in disbelief.

I give credit and respect to people who fight for what they believe in, but this is just one of those things, I can't.

With all the research and studies that have been conducted on obesity and the effects of obesity, you would think this movement would create an encouraging environment for people to want to become more healthy without having to face the thoughts of mainstream society.

Yet, this movement has created a belief that it's just fine to be obese, that it's just fine to condemn your body. I've seen quite a few people lose a significant amount of weight in my career. I met them at the beginning, or at their sticking point, I know them now, as they have made a choice and committment to leading a healthy lifestyle and have proof to show the world.

Not a single one of them has told me they prefer they way they used to live their life.

They all have stories, stories of unsupportive friends and family members, stories of success, and stories of how they just feel better.

None of them are willing to trade how they felt before, for how they feel today.

Here's the article that Erica mentioned.

http://bitchmagazine.org/article/big-trouble

What It Takes

After my post on Monday, I feel compelled to talk a little bit about what it takes to lead a healthy lifestyle.

As I breifly mentioned...

-It's not about 6 pack abs.
-It's not about being a size 2.
-It's not about starving yourself.
-It's not about working out 3 hours a day.

Being healthy and leading a healthy lifestyle has everything to do with the opposite of the things I just mentioned above.

Eating well: lean proteins, fruits, and veggies, some nuts and grains.

Staying Active: exercising 3 times a week (strength training and interval training work great) and being active 2 or 3 other days during the week.

Perspective: having a realistic perspective on what you're trying to achieve, if you're trying to lose weight, it's going to take some time, it didn't take a month to put the extra pounds on so it's going to take longer than a month to take it off.

Consistency: If you 'Yo-Yo' diet as they put it, you'll rarely be successful. If you hit the gym hard for 3 weeks and then take 4 weeks off, you're not going to see results. Start off by implementing a few things and add changes ever two weeks. Cold turkey commitments are hard to stick to.

It's a Lifestyle: This is the most important thing to remember. Don't look at your nutrition as a diet, look at it as Nutrition, fuel your body with nutrients that are good for it. Look at exercise as an activity, not a chore. Change your mindset and your lifestyle will improve.

My final thought: A healthy lifestlye becomes a way of life, you learn about self discovery and what makes you tick. Your mental game is also much greater. You owe it to yourself to treat yourself right.

I am NOT ok with this.

To what each do with our own bodies is purely up to each and everyone of us.

This movement, The Fat Acceptance Movement, is something that I cannot support.


Watch this video clip on the Fat Acceptance Movement.



Healthy overweight women (excuse me fat women, and that's the term they are using) are creating a movement to tell the world that they are ok with being fat, that they are happier, and healthier than they ever were at lighter weights.

The interview on Good Morning America goes on to tell us that the women they interviewed are working closely with the physicians to make sure they don't have any side effects tradiditionally associated with being overeweight. They even mention that their physicians are ok with their decisions to support the Fat Acceptance Movement.

Here are my thoughts...

1. Being obese (or fat as these women admit) is not healthy. They may not have any health problems now but in 5 or 10 years they most certainly will, reserach proves this.

2. The story mentions that yo-yo diets are harmful to our health as well, which is true, but why not adapt a healthy style of living? Eat fruits and vegetables, very few grains, and lean proteins. Exercise consistently, even if it only starts with walking. Giving in to temptations whenever you want and avoiding physical activity is not healthy.

3. One woman says she's healthier now than when she was 100 lbs lighter, I think she might have felt unhealthy at the lighter weight because she still wasn't eating properly. There's a huge difference to eating well and restricitng what you eat. Deprivation and dieting typically isn't successful. Committing to a healthy lifestyle is.

4. I think too skinny is also not healthy. I think people who are of average weight who don't eat well and don't exercise, but are just blessed with a decent metabolism and good genetics, is also not healthy. Just as I think being obese is not healthy.

5. Curves are good, shape is good, strength is good.

I do not believe these women are as happy as they say they are. I cannot believe their physicians support their position. Obesity is on a rise, it's effecting our youth, it's a leading cause of death, it's becoming an epidemic.