PENTAGON ATTACKS OBESITY IN THE MILITARY

That was the headline I saw and I had to know more, not so much because it is the Pentagon, but because eyes are being open to the impact of obesity on the health, well being and welfare of our nation.

If you have read this blog before, you are well aware that our country is facing an Obesity Epidemic; we are literally a ticking time bomb set to implode.   Our health care system can not absorb the impact of the rising health care needs of our increasing waist lines.

Obesity has been directly linked to Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cardiac Disease and some cancers, we do not have time to lose in manning our battleships and waging war on this lethal enemy…an enemy within our own bodies.

So now the Pentagon is on board….

The Military has begun to see the problem of Obesity affecting our Military Readiness. As stated in a recent Yahoo News Feed:

…a recent army study that says more than one quarter of 17- to 24-year-olds are too overweight to serve in the military. Active members of the military are also becoming more overweight, a Pentagon official said, and that causes a “readiness problem.”

Also, there is a direct attack on the Military’s budget:

…the U.S. military spends about $4.65 billion in food services each year. It also spends an estimated $1.1 billion a year on medical care associated with excess weight and obesity.

That was 1.1 Billion of your tax dollars a year to treat people from a completely preventable health concerns. 

It is about time the Pentagon is taking action.

We all need to take action here. 

We all need to continue to become educated and enlightened about eating healthy and living an active lifestyle, and I am grateful that this is having an impact on the Higher-Ups in the world.  They are the ones who can effect positive change for so many others.

So what changes have you been making for yourself and your family to live a healthier lifestyle?  If you are one of the proud members of the military family, it will be that much easier from this point forward.

And for that I am grateful.

Have a healthy day,

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation:

I was on Yahoo News today and I came across an article about Childhood Obesity and Behavior Programs.

I am extremely interested in this topic.

We are literally fighting for our lives and the lives of our children.  The rate of obesity among children in this country is staggering:

And this article stated that the percentage of obese children in the control group of this low income community is 54% by the age of 8!!!

54% by the age of 8!!!!  My jaw hit the floor when I read this. 

We are facing an Obesity Epidemic. 

Why is it an epidemic?

• The generation being born now is the first generation with likelihood to die before their parents…and from a completely preventable disease.

• Not only that, but the amount of health care dollars that are required to care for Obesity related disease could bankrupt our medical system.  Diseases such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, Hypertension and Cancer are all attributed to obesity, and the risks associated with these diseases is lessened by maintaining a healthy body weight.

• Again: 54% of children by the age of 8 are obese; if something is not done this will get worse.

The Yahoo article stated that weight loss was an unexpected result of Behavior Programs offered to families of pre-school children, and that there was a 50% or greater drop in the rate of obese children during follow up; only 24% of the children who received the behavior program were obese as compared to 54% in the control group.

This is an interesting study that needs to be put into action. 

Oh, and the article ended with:

The cost and other logistics of doing that(behavior programming) are unclear. But obesity itself — as well as the behavioral problems the program targets — carry a big price tag, Brotman pointed out.

“The argument that there would be cost-savings is, I think, pretty compelling,” she said.

I think the cost savings would be positive on not only the physical, but the psychological, social and emotional levels as well.

Check out the article for yourself and see what you think:

http://news.yahoo.com/behavior-programs-may-cut-child-obesity-risk-171458357.html

Have a Healthy Day

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation:

Is your Diet Making You Fat?

Seems ironic, doesn’t it?

But it may be true…your attempts to lose weight could actually be making you fat!

There are many factors that may be contributing to this result, one being Diet Soda.

DIET SODA:

Diet Soda has been getting a lot of press lately, so let’s refer to the experts to get the full story. 

Dr. Helen Hazuda, professor of medicine at University of Texas Health Science Center atSan Antonio, reported about diet soda: “They may be free of calories, but not of consequences.”

Consequences like weight gain.

CBS News Health-Pop reported:

‘“For one study, researchers at the center followed 474 diet soda drinkers, 65 to 74 years of age, for almost 10 years. They found that diet soda drinkers’ waists grew 70 percent more than non-drinkers. Specifically, drinking two or more diet sodas a day busted belt sizes five times more than people who avoided the stuff entirely.

And as waist size grows, so do health risks – including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions.

Just how does diet soda make you fat? The other study may hold the answer. In it, researchers divided mice into two groups, one of which ate food laced with the popular sweetener aspartame. After three months, the mice eating aspartame-chow had higher blood sugar levels than the mice eating normal food. The authors said in a written statement their findings could “contribute to the associations observed between diet soda consumption and the risk of diabetes in humans.”

But how?

“Artificial sweeteners could have the effect of triggering appetite but unlike regular sugars they don’t deliver something that will squelch the appetite,” Sharon Fowler, obesity researcher at UT Health Science Center atSan Diegoand a co-author on both of these studies, told the Daily Mail She also said sweeteners could inhibit brain cells that make you feel full.

So if sugar soda is no good, and diet soda isn’t either – what should we be drinking?

Dr. Hazuda told the Daily Mail, “I think prudence would dictate drinking water.”

Diet Soda may be a short term alternative to helping you break your soda habit, but should be weaned out of long term, daily use. 

If you are currently drinking either regular or diet soda, consider cutting them back from daily use, and making healthier choices such as water and tea.  Many Homeopathic Physicians and Dieticians also recommend Stevia, which is an all natural, plant based, low calorie sweetener.  And Stevia does not appear to have the health consequences of other low-calorie sweeteners, which have been linked to cancer in several studies.  Luckily, Stevia has been becoming more available in your local grocery stores under the brand names such as Truvia and Stevia In The Raw.  Try it for yourself and see if making healthier choices can also taste better too.

Have A Healthy Day,

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation:

Dirty Little Word

I want to pose you a question: How long have you been trying to lose weight?

Has it been weeks, months or even years?

Are you always on a “diet”?

Yes, in my world Diet is a four letter word, and the first three letters are: D-I-E.  That does not sound like something fun or worthy of your time and effort.  

You may not know me personally, but you should know that I am committed to your success in your weight loss effort, and my first declaration for you is get off the DIEt cycle, because it is killing you.

I am of course not speaking of physical death here, you could not be reading this if you were dead. 

I am speaking of DIEts as killing your spirit and self-esteem. 

If you, like myself and so many others, have had the experience of losing weight, feeling great, receiving compliments left and right ONLY to have gained ALL the weight back, then you know what I am talking about.

 It is a vicious cycle and it leaves your self esteem and motivation in its wake. 

So yes, I am very familiar with dying this small death for every pound gained after feeling the glory of accomplishment.  There are many feelings you could have, but I think the worst one is the shame we associate with failing in this area of our lives, and the perceived judgment of others. 

Weight is not something you can hide if you have gained it. Sure, you could buy all black clothing and Snookie your hair so you “appear” taller and leaner, but do you really want to feel like you are hiding anything about yourself???

Let me ask that again:  do you want to live your life hiding behind a funeral director’s wardrobe or do you want to live in the beautiful clothes you bought when you felt good about your appearance?

Then you MUST stop dieting.  If diets worked, you would be at your target weight.  If diets worked then the 40 Billion Dollars spent a year on weight loss products would not be resulting in Americans being at record breaking obesity levels. 

What you need is a lifestyle change: eating whole, natural foods that are complimentary to our activity levels.  The more you move, the more you can eat.

So here are 5 SIMPLE tips you can do today to break your diet habit:

1. Drink more water.  I did not say diet soda, really it is water. 
2. Eat more Fiber.  Simply adding 6 grams of fiber a day will have a positive impact on your ability to lose weight.
3. Plan your meals.  Do not leave your food choices up to the last moment when you are hungry, then you will be more likely to make poor choices.
4. Learn about Glycemic index.  Knowledge is power.  If you do not know what that means, you should stop reading this blog immediately and Google Glycemic index, it makes a difference.
5. Keep a food journal.  This is the only way to truly evaluate your progress and areas you can improve.  If you are not honest on those pages then you are only cheating yourself.

ANYONE can take on the above 5 steps toward a healthy eating plan, even you.  If you said you can’t then you are predicting the future for yourself.  Whatever you say or believe about changes to your nutrition will come true.  If you want success, start to think successful thoughts.  If you want failure, then think about failure.

Next week we will have more quick tips for continuing cleaning up your nutrition and ending diets forever.  Until them make these small changes, and see what happens.

 I believe in your success.

Have a Healthy and Happy Day,

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation: