In Search of Time...

The rumors of my disappearance have been greatly exaggerated. Yes, I’ve been AWOL from this blog for over a year, but it’s time for a comeback! And now time is what is on my mind...

Are you beyond busy, overwhelmed by your schedule or your life?

Do you feel like Wellness is just one more thing you can't fit in?

Read on to see how five minutes can change your life!

FACT: In 1999, the American Institute of Stress indicated that Americans were spending more time at work, in fact workers in the United States were putting in more hours on the job than any other industrialized nation. On the average, Americans worked a month more than the Japanese and three months more than the Germans. The average workweek was 47 hours per week. I’m still searching for the updated report because we all know a lot has changed since 1999...

IMPACT: According to a 2009 report from the American Psychological Association, 75% of adults said they had experience high levels of stress in the past month and 42% indicated they had higher stress levels than the previous year. Stress is linked to headaches, back pain and chronic illness including cancer and heart disease. In fact, stress has been linked to all of the leading causes of death...

TIME TO ACT! “All work and no play is no good at all.” I agree whole-heartedly with this quote printed on the stem of my Gary Fischer mountain bike. But, with longer work weeks and higher stress levels we often perceive there is no time for Wellness. Most people have a long list of things that they “should” do, including exercising and eating right – but who’s got the time? The inherent stress of more work and less play is now compounded by guilt. Guilt is NOT a dimensions of Wellness!

BABY STEPS: Give yourself a break and start with something simple. Wellness is a process, not a product. You can improve your personal Wellness in as little as 5 minutes per day. Pick just one of the seven activities listed below and try it today, then try a different one tomorrow or next week.

Social – Call or visit a friend, neighbor or colleague whose company you enjoy, and take a few moments to catch up with each other’s lives.

Environmental – Go outside and watch the sunset (or sunrise). Just watch, don’t do anything else. No cell phone, no blackberry. Take the whole 5 minutes and relax. Enjoy the beauty of the sky and live in the moment.

Occupational – Close your door and forward your phone for 5 minutes. If you can’t close your door, find a place where you can sit undisturbed for this exercise. Take a deep breath and attempt to clear your mind of all of those nagging “to do’s”. On a blank sheet of paper brainstorm and write down things you like about your job. Once you get a list then prioritize it and number the top 5. On a new sheet of paper write down your top 5 and keep it somewhere handy to help motivate you at stressful moments.

Intellectual – Discover something new and share it with someone. For example, check out the Real Age web site where you can discover your true biological age (based on your lifestyle not the calendar). Read the “Real Age” tip of the day, or request to have it e-mailed to you daily.

Physical – Move. Somehow, some way just move your body. Stand up and stretch, or take a short walk. You don’t have to get on a treadmill and sweat for 20 minutes to improve your activity level. The addition of any movement above and beyond what you did yesterday will improve your physical well being today. Five minutes counts!

Emotional – Laugh. Talk to a friend who makes you laugh. If you are alone, think of the last thing that made you laugh really hard. Don’t be afraid to laugh out loud, or share with someone who will laugh with you. Learn more about humor and health from the HelpGuide.org website.

Spiritual – Do something today that soothes your soul, brings you peace and creates joy in your life. If you can’t think of anything, think harder. It can be as simple as feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, seeing the smiling face of a child or doing a favor for a friend. You could also spend the 5 minutes today by making a list of simple things that make you happy, and make a promise to yourself that you will do one in the next seven days.

Congratulations. If you read this far you have already taken a step towards enhancing your Wellness. We can’t get more hours out of our day, but we can improve the quality of those hours if we invest a little time to BE WELL.

Wellness in Luxury Living - Priceless!

Today I appeared on the ABC Channel 15 show, "Sonoran Living Live". The following is the video and the text from my interview.



As the Wellness Services Coordinator for La Siena Senior Living, I have a unique position. I am not a nurse; I am a prevention specialist who promotes the total well being of La Siena's residents. My job is not about assessing and evaluating, it's about enhancing and building. It's my job to get people connected to and participating in things that make them feel alive, happy and fully engaged in life.

The wellness philosophy of Leisure Care and La Siena is best expressed as whole person wellness. It is one thing to take care of a person's basic physical needs. It is quite another to look after and nurture the whole person. La Siena's wellness programs are designed to provide expert guidance in physical fitness, dining and nutrition, intellectual and artistic pursuits, social and travel adventure, and relaxation.

Wellness reaches beyond physical health and includes seven dimensions that are reflective of our whole lives as social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical beings. Our wellness also includes our vocation and our environment - because all of these things affect our day to day lives. Wellness is not about living the "perfect" life and never eating a donut or missing a day of exercise. Wellness is about finding a balanced approach to life.

One of the unique wellness programs at La Siena is our Brain Fitness Program by Posit Science. "Brain Fit" was designed by top scientists to provide the brain with the precise exercise it needs to grow stronger and sharper. Scientific research studies have shown that Brain Fit can significantly improve memory. After taking the program, people report feeling sharper or more "on the ball," happier, more confident, and excited about things. Brain Fit has also helped some people feel that they have improved their hearing, listening and communication skills.

La Siena also has monthly wellness education lectures called LivWell Series. These sessions are not the typical "heart health" or "diabetes prevention" seminars you might expect. At La Siena or motto is "1 percent Retirement, 99 percent Fun!" and our LivWell Series is reflective of that with sessions like "Common Exercise Myths - Busted!", Vickie Mullins' "Leaving a Legacy is Easy: Let Your Grandkids Know Their Unibrows Came from Grandpa's Side of the Family!", and "Laugh for the Health of It" with Elaine Lundburg which is coming up on Wednesday, February 18th, at La Siena from 11:00 - 12:30 PM. La Siena is located at 909 E. Northen Avenue, Phoenix, AZ. Call 602-870-5500 to RSVP for events.

Weight Loss Short-Cuts

... May lead to a bad trip down the wrong road!

I have never advocated any weight loss product or drug; “natural” or otherwise and today I found yet another case to illustrate my point.

One of my professional news alerts directed me to the following blog. The article is reflective of the FDA warning, but I want to caution readers that the blog is surrounded by bogus weight loss ads! Since I’m a blogging rookie, I’m not sure what that is about… it seems a bit contradictory to me. Perhaps the author will write me and let me know what is going on there. Anyway, if you would like to take a look at the original article that caught my attention, here it is:

“FDA Warns Consumers About Tainted Weight Loss Pills


Agency seeks recall of products that pose serious health risks


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting consumers nationwide not to purchase or consume more than 25 different products marketed for weight loss because they contain undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients that may put consumers’ health at risk.”

You can also check out the FDA’s website directly. Here’s an excerpt from the FDA site:

“Consumer Directed Questions and Answers about FDA’s Initiative Against Contaminated Weight Loss Products

FDA has developed these questions and answers (Q & A’s) to help consumers, health care practitioners, and the general public understand FDA’s actions regarding weight loss products contaminated with various prescription drugs and chemicals. Many of these products are marketed as dietary supplements. Unfortunately, FDA cannot test and identify all weight loss products on the market that have potentially harmful contaminants in order to assure their safety. Enforcement actions and consumer advisories for unapproved products only cover a small fraction of the potentially hazardous weight loss products marketed to consumers on the internet and at some retail establishments.


1. What undeclared drugs and/or chemicals are contained in the weight loss products associated with this action?


Laboratory tests revealed the presence of sibutramine, rimonabant, phenytoin, and phenolphthalein. A summary of our findings are below:


Product(s) Name

• 2 Day Diet 

• 3 Day Diet
• 
3x Slimming Power 

• 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming 

• 7 Diet Day/Night Formula

• 7 Day Herbal Slim 

• 8 Factor Diet 

• 24 Hours Diet
• 999 Fitness Essence

• Extrim Plus 

• Fatloss Slimming

• GMP

• Imelda Perfect Slim
• Lida DaiDaihua 

• Miaozi Slim Capsules

• Perfect Slim

• Perfect Slim 5x

• ProSlim Plus

• Royal Slimming Formula 

• Slim 3 in 1 

• Slim Express 360

• Slim Tech 

• Somotrim

• Superslim

• Triple Slim
• 
Venom Hyperdrive 3.0 

• Zhen de Shou
• Phyto Shape
• 3x Slimming Power
Extrim Plus
• 8 Factor Diet

• 24 Hours Diet
• 
Fatloss Slimming

• Imelda Perfect Slim

• Perfect Slim 5x

• Royal Slimming Formula

• Superslim
• 
Zhen de Shou

2. What action is FDA taking regarding these tainted weight loss products?


FDA is taking action to help ensure that these products and other products containing undeclared prescription ingredients are removed from the marketplace. FDA has inspected a number of firms associated with the sale of these products and is currently seeking recalls of the products. Based on these inspections and the firms’ responses to recall requests, FDA may take additional enforcement steps to include warning letters, seizure, injunction, or criminal charges.”

And on a final note, as I read this list of tainted weight loss products, it makes me sad. Sad that consumers are in danger and sad that we are willing to spend so much money on unproven products when eating less and moving more are readily available to all. In the meantime I will continue my quest for the truth and continue to try to find a way to make sensible eating and increased activity more exciting so maybe people will learn once and for all that this is the only road to effective weight loss.

Firming up the Flab

The truth about fat loss and exercise -

“The fabulous flab-o-later 5000 can firm your thighs, flatten your abdominals and have you feeling fit in no time flat. This limited time offer is not available in stores so act NOW!”

Ah, the info-mercial! It’s hard to go anywhere these days without seeing the latest and greatest wonder-gadget to help us get a “better” body. Whether it is saggy saddlebags, flabby abs, or a drooping derrière – those pesky “problem areas” are clearly the root of all evil. The promise is that you can: tone it, tighten it, lift it, firm it, shape it, or sculpt it with this machine or that exercise… But, these are promises that no single exercise can deliver. To find out why, we need to take a look at what “it” is and how “it” works.

What is it? We name it, specifically love handles or beer belly and in general terms flab. Is it a muscle issue? No, it is a fat issue. Adipose tissue. Fat, not muscle is the problem. Physiologically, fat and muscle are two totally separate systems in the body. They have different jobs. Muscle, helps us move around or even just sit upright. Muscle is like the engine in a car, it works to get from one place to another. Fat is an essential part of our bodies, some is located just under the skin and helps to insulate our bodies and some helps to cushion our vital organs. When we repeatedly consume more calories than our bodies can burn, we store those excess calories as - you guessed it – FAT. The distribution of that excess fat around our bodies is genetically predetermined. We don’t get to decide where to store it or where to lose it. Bummer!

How does it work? Fat doesn’t work like muscle does, it just hangs out. Using the car analogy, if muscle is the engine – then fat is the baggage in the trunk. Generally speaking, fat is a storage unit. Muscle can contract to help us run, jump or lift a weight – fat can’t. Muscle can be trained (through exercise) and get bigger and stronger – fat can’t. In essence, fat is lazy – it will not work no matter how hard your try. There is no “target” exercise for fat so it cannot be toned, tightened, lifted, firmed, shaped or sculpted. Fat is not a muscle group. You can’t train fat – it refuses to do work. Fat is totally, utterly and completely disobedient!

The brutal truth is you can’t firm up the flab. You can train the muscle under the flab, but the flab will remain flab. To get rid of flab we need to burn the excess calories that we have stored in the trunk. Calories are burned in the greatest amounts when we do whole body, cardiovascular exercise. Reducing the amount of calories we consume will also help us lose the excess body fat. We don’t lose fat from pieces and parts of our bodies; we lose it from the whole system. And when we train our muscles, we should train the whole system (all major muscle groups) not just pieces and parts. Reduced calorie consumption + increased calorie burning (whole body exercise) = body fat reduction - aka flab loss. So, step away from the flab-o-later 5000 and back on the bike, the treadmill or whatever gets your heart rate up and makes you sweat for about 30 minutes, 5 or more days a week.

Social Wellness

Several months ago my hair stylist, Bonnie, witnessed an accident. She was stopped at a light waiting to make a right hand turn. She noticed a little girl walking along the sidewalk parallel to her vehicle. It was one of those brisk mornings we long for as memories of the summer heat fade away into fall. Bonnie was mesmerized by this little girl in her brightly colored jacket with her little backpack on her way to school. But, the tranquility of the moment was shattered as an SUV came seemingly out of nowhere and struck the little girl in the crosswalk. I’ll spare you the details of this horrifying event but tell you that Bonnie rushed to the aid of this little girl and quite possibly saved her fragile little life. The driver of the SUV had come to a stop several feet away from where the girl lay unconscious in the road. The driver never hit the brakes and admittedly didn’t know what had just happened. When Bonnie told the driver she had hit the girl, the driver was clearly upset, as anyone would be. After the ambulance rushed the girl away and all the witnesses had given their statements, Bonnie was left to wonder about the fate of this little girl who had captivated her imagination for those few seconds in what now seemed like a lifetime ago.

Fast forward to yesterday. As I sat in her chair, Bonnie was excited as she told me that she had recently heard that the little girl was ok – just cuts and bruises, truly a miracle! The other stylist and patron joined in the conversation as Bonnie continued to tell me that she was asked to give her statement to an attorney a few days earlier. It seems that the driver of the SUV was placing blame on the child in the crosswalk.

Here’s where my opinion comes in and you have the right to agree or disagree. I wasn’t there on that morning so I don’t know what really happened. But I have a vivid memory of Bonnie’s telling of the story and of Bonnie’s emotion and how the images haunted her so perhaps that’s why my opinion is so wholly, completely, and admittedly one sided. Honestly, I was and am appalled at the thought of an adult with a driver’s license placing blame on an eight-year-old child in a marked crosswalk. An adult who asked Bonnie “what just happened” after she struck the child. An adult who never applied the brakes – there were no skid marks at the scene. An adult who never saw the child, but knew that she hit something is the very person claiming she did see that the light was green. She saw a green light about the size of a volleyball – but couldn’t see an eight year old child. Bonnie believed that the driver ran the red light because as she watched the accident she recalled the sound of the drivers behind her honking their horns and wondered if she was the only one who had just seen what happened. Bonnie’s light was green as she pulled her vehicle across the lane of traffic to protect the little girl; that she knows. But she doesn’t know when her light turned green as she was so focused on the little girl.

Equally appalling to me was the reaction of the other patron who agreed that the eight-year-old girl was responsible for the accident because she didn’t see the SUV. When I politely objected to the statement and questioned how the adult driving the SUV could miss seeing the girl entirely the patron stated very matter of factly that “..people are distracted when they drive and can’t be expected to see everything… the child should have been paying attention…” My next response was less polite because I don’t understand how it is acceptable in our society today to be distracted as we speed down the road in a 3,000-pound missile. How is it acceptable make an eight-year-old child accountable and not an adult? I felt myself getting emotional and had to stop talking, as I’m not one to pick a fight in a hair salon – or anywhere for that matter! But I did want to fight for the right of a child to be the kid and an adult to the grown-up. Has the world indeed gone mad? Have we no social conscious? Is where we are going and what we are doing in our vehicles more important than the life of a child or any other living thing? And again I must repeat that we are talking about a child walking in a marked crosswalk in broad daylight – not a crack head stumbling across the middle of the expressway at midnight!

I was compelled to write this story not because I want people to debate the color of the light and who’s truly at fault – but because I want us to wake up! We adults need to take responsibility for our actions. The well being of our society depends on it. Our social wellness depends on it. Our relationships with all of those around us should matter. Even if the child did step into the intersection before the sign said, “walk”, the driver should have been able to see her and apply the breaks. The driver should have been paying attention enough to know she just hit a child. We, as human beings should have compassion for the child and yes, the driver too. Once the driver realized what she had done she was truly sorry, and for that I do have compassion. I’m trying not to judge the driver and I’m trying not to judge the patron and I ask that you do the same. What I would like you to do is pay attention to our social norms and fight to keep the human element in humanity.

And finally, please put down your blackberry, your cell phone, or your hamburger and pay attention when you drive. Value our social wellness.

Burn Baby Burn!

The Truth About Fat Burning and Weight Loss...

Anyone who has ever used a treadmill, bike, elliptical or other cardiovascular training machine has probably noticed the “Fat Burning” workout or “Fat Burning Zone” designated on the machine. For those of you who don’t know, the theory is that the lower end of your target heart rate training zone is the “fat burning zone,” if you train at these low levels you will burn more body fat and lose weight faster. Well I have good news and bad news about this assumption.

First the bad news – the “Fat Burning Zone” is myth, a timeless urban legend much like big-foot or the loch-ness monster. I know what you’re thinking, “if it’s not true why is it written on every cardio machine?” I had the opportunity to speak with James Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, sports medicine consultant and former director of sports medicine for StairMaster Sports/Medical Products Inc. (now owned by Nautilus) and ask that very question. He answered with one word, “marketing”. Despite what the researchers know and advise, marketing gets the final word on selling equipment. After all, every equipment manufacturer is in business to sell machines and to do so they need to convince consumers that their product is the best and burns the most fat and calories. The concept of “fat burning” is a popular trend and therefore a must have for advertising purposes. The truth about the “fat burning zone” is not part of the equation.

Now, the truth - weight loss is all about burning enough calories to help us lose body fat. To lose a pound of body fat through exercise you need to burn approximately 3500 calories. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie: one calorie of fat is equal to one calorie of carbohydrate, which is equal to one calorie of protein. Think about it, which weighs more a pound of lead or a pound of feathers? A pound is a pound and a calorie is a calorie – both are units of measure. There is no magical “fat burning zone” because the energy units being utilized as you exercise are equivalent.

The good news - no more worries about having your heart rate “too high” to burn fat! If you are burning calories you are on the right track for weight and fat loss. Strive to burn as many calories as possible in whatever amount of time you have available to exercise. Choose an exercise intensity level that is challenging, but not exhausting, and work at that level for as long as you can. The other half of the equation is your calorie consumption. Reducing your calorie intake and increasing the amount of calories you burn will get you to your weight loss goals even faster.

Good News for “Losers” in the Weight Loss Game

Making healthy food choices and lifestyle changes are beneficial to your health whether you lose weight or not!

According to a 2003 study done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, simply attempting to lose weight can lengthen your life and help prevent disease. This study tracked 6,391 overweight or obese participants for 9 years. The study concluded that, "Attempted weight loss is associated with lower all-cause mortality, independent of weight change." (Edward W. Gregg, PhD, et. al.)

On the average, Americans are gaining 2 pounds each year - that’s 20 pounds of fat each decade! According to Dr. James Hill of the University of Colorado, long-term weight loss can be as basic as "cutting back on a cookie or taking three fewer bites of a fast-food hamburger" (USA TODAY, 2003). These two simple examples shave off 100 calories a day from your diet and can lead to a 10 pound weight loss in a year rather than the typical 2 pound gain.

I know what your thinking, “only ten-pounds in a year?” At first it may not sound like much, especially when the hot new “PDQ Diet” is promising ‘10 pounds in 10 days’ (I just made that up, please don’t Google it - as of this writing it does not exist!). But consider how long it took you to put the extra weight on - it takes months and years to gain weight, not days. Don’t lose sight of the point here, which is your health and your quality of life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." I think it is safe to say that everyone who has dieted has failed in one way or another. If you believe it is worth trying again, you win. Typically we define success as lost pounds when we get on the scale, but as we see here, this is not always the case. Making a commitment to a healthier lifestyle is a positive step on the road to improved health. Keep up the good work of making healthy food choices - someday your children and your grandchildren will be glad you did!