The following article addresses a very concerning health threat that we, at Redline, see every day. Many people don't know, or in some cases, don't care, about how many "hits" their health takes. Why do you suppose people feel (or don't feel) this way?
It is our experience that in this fast-paced world, eating on the go, or "dashboard dining" as it is called, snacking in front of the television while we relax, or joining friends for dinner and dessert after a stress-filled day or week, keeps our focus on filling our emotional needs while we address our physical need for food. Such habits take our focus off mealtime as a plesant experience of giving and sharing with family to another thing to schedule into our already busy week. We often totally ignore our spiritual self completely. Such trends and perceptions of life will lead us and our families to illness in later life rather than to health. Though we need to care for, and indeed nurture, our mind/body/spirit to be totally well, we must take time to tend to each need individually, with patience, and with care.
It is through personal experience that I have come to see the vital need for setting aside time, each week, and, in fact, scheduling into my day, a time of separately nurturing the three parts of me; that of mind, body, and spirit. Others feel as I do about it. Why not try their recipie for success?
"Three mornings each week, I have a running date with my girlfriend. Running addresses my body's need for focused time. My friend's loyalty and friendship addresses the need I have to nurture my mind as she is a good person, listens well, and gives me gentle guidance whenever I need it. If she has nothing to add, she won't. Most importantly, if she thinks I'm off track, she gently comments and guides me back to center. She does it all without ridicule or criticism." SF (Bismarck)
"I love to read and I read a lot! I read non-fiction and fiction as I consider reading a way to nurture my mind and to nurture my spirit. To address my spirit specifically, I have found that "downtime" is vital for me. A time of focused meditation and deep thought helps me slow down for a time. I sometimes focus on what my purpose is here on earth as I believe that each life is a gift to us and what we do with it is our gift back to the Creator of all life." BR (Mandan)
Making a point to separate these three parts of my whole being and nurture each vital part carefully, has helped me to achieve the one thing everyone seeks in this life - peace.
Health, Life, Page 1C, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, McClatchy Newspapers, Bismarck Tribune
"Some are in denial of weight problem"
Have you heard of "the fat gap?" It's a term that sprang up recently, when a survey in Great Britain found the majroity of the overweight people there are oblivious to the fact that they're heavy.
The findings pin down a phenomenon that health professionals have been talking about for years: as those around us get fatter, our perception of our own size changes accordingly.
Are you, too, caught in the fat gap?Fooling ourselves: The survey found that public perception of healthy weight has blurred so much that fat is now seen as the "norm". Less than one in 10 people believe the excess pounds they are carrying are significant enough for them to be classified as obese, according to the 2,100 adults in the poll by YouGov, an international Internet-based market research firm. Yet measurements found that one in four of those questioned were clinically obese.
Am I fat? Don't bother with a scale; the best way to tell is by calculating your BMI, or Body Mass Index.The measure of body fat is a bit complicated, but you can skip all the math by going to a Harvard Health Web site, among others, and punching in your height and weight. You're overweight if your BMI is 25 or higher and obese if your BMI is 30 or higher, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Weight of the nation: Brits aren't the only ones blissfully unaware.
A CDC report this past summer showed waistlines in the United States are still growing.
Overall, 26.1 percent of Americans were obese in 2009, compared to 25.6 percent in 2007. Florida ranks 30th (tied with New York) in terms of the fattest states, with 4.4 percent of our population obese. Mississippi has the highest concentration of obese people with 32.8 percent.
Colorado is the only state in the nation where less than 20 percent of adults are obese.
Why it matters:
You've heard it before, but it bears repeating. Research has shown that as weight increases, so do the risks of having coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, stroke, and sleep apnea, among other health problems, according to the CDC.
"Obesogenic:" Concerned about an environment that promotes over-eating, unhealthy foods and physical inactivity -- what it calles America's "obesogenic" society -- the CDC has a Web site with information on science-based interventions, weight management research and other info for adults and children who need to lose weight, CDC Obesity Informationb www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html.
One of the objectives of our Tips and Trends Page,is for Anita and I to assist our readers in taking a look at the health, wellness, and fitness trends in the US and around the world. We want to offer simple, tried-and-true methods of addressing these trends as they affect all of our lives. If you would like us to address a trend or issue in your world, let us know by emailing us a pam@redlinerx.com.