Saving Calories and Losing Weight

Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Sports, Travel/fit | Add Comment

Great segment on Today by the “Eat This, Not That” guy from Men’s Health. Most people really don’t have a clue about how many calories, fat or grams of sugar are in what they order. The scary thing is that salads are often the worst offenders and are far worse than just getting a hamburger. Some salads are especially bad because the dressings are almost pure fat. Make sure you ask for low calorie dressing options when you order.

Obesity a Factor In Swine Flu Deaths

Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment

MSNBC’s latest article on the Swine Flu makes the point that obese people are at significantly higher risk for dying from the H1N1 Swine Flu virus.

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“Obesity has been observed to be one of the risk factors for more severe reaction to H1N1″ — something never before seen, Kieny added. It is not clear if obese people may have undiagnosed health problems that make them susceptible, or if obesity in and of itself is a risk.

On Friday, a team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Michigan reported that nine out of 10 patients treated in an intensive care unit there were obese. They also had unusual symptoms such as blood clots in the lungs and multiple organ failure.

None have recovered and three died.

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I suspect that the lower overall health of most obese persons along with what is usually a poor diet and lack of exercise makes them much higher risk for severe problems. When you start off from an already lowered state of heath, you would expect this. So, if you know someone who is overweight or obese, encourage them to make strides toward a more healthy lifestyle because they won’t be able to fall back on the age old excuse of “I can do it later”… the flu kills very quickly, and there is no later.

Starting a Training Program- Motivation is Key

Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Spiritual/Emotional, Sports, Youth/fit | Add Comment

The pastor at my church was told by his doctor that he needed to lose weight and start exercising due to some not so good test results. So finally, I have gotten him into the gym and after a week of relatively light training, he is getting the initial soreness worked out. I will ask him if it is OK to post his initial picture along with updates as we move along. One of the things he has in his favor is that his wife is an aerobics instructor who is very health/diet conscious. So it will be interesting to see how this progresses. Stay tuned.

One of the biggest factors (probably THE biggest) in making a real change is motivation. So with his wife, me and the other guy who works out with us all encouraging him, I think he has a good chance of making a real lifestyle change. The other motivating influence is other people who might not want to see you succeed. It amazes me how negative so many people are when they find out a friend or family member is trying to lose weight and get in shape. That is just the “misery loves company” attitude coming out.  But you can channel that “negativity” and use it for motivation. One thing that really motivates me is people thinking I can’t do something. So if you are in the same situation, feed off of those who want you to succeed- and those who don’t. Then use your success to encourage someone else.

The High Cost of Cheap Fast Food

Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment

The latest study of obesity rates in the US is out and the news is not good. Some states increased, and no state decreased. When you look at the longer term problems that obesity causes, it becomes clear that health care reform will have to address this underlying problem before it can make significant strides in controlling costs. The irony is of course that America’s prosperity and cheap fast food is killing us…

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It’s time for the nation’s annual obesity rankings and, outside of fairly lean Colorado, there’s little good news. Obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states over the past year and didn’t decline anywhere, says a new report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

And while the nation has long been bracing for a surge in Medicare as the boomers start turning 65, the new report makes clear that fat, not just age, will fuel much of those bills. In every state, the rate of obesity is higher among 55- to 64-year-olds — the oldest boomers — than among today’s 65-and-beyond.