After several months of noticing consistent weight gain, a thirty-five year old woman decides to visit her doctor. She is amazed that the extra weight seems to have come from out of the blue and proclaims her diet has never been a problem before now? She wondered if it could be her thyroid (a frequent complaint of her mother’s). Or maybe pregnancy? Even worse, could it be some chronic condition? And, forget about what it could be, what could the doctor give her to lose the weight and regain her energetic zest? After a thorough checkup and confirmed lab results, the doctor found nothing of concern, but did write Mary a prescription – one mile of walking per day, five times a week.
This action is not so absurd. According to the Archives of Internal Medicine, more and more doctors are being encouraged by their industry’s board of superiors to write prescriptions of exercise for their patients, especially those with obesity issues. And fortunately, they are conceding.
The estimated figure of premature death rate resulting from obesity-related afflictions (heart disease, diabetes, etc.) is 300,000 per year. This equates to healthcare costs of up to $90 billion! There would be a substantial drop in these cases if patients would participate in physical activity. Not only would it help to lower their body weight, it could among many things, lower high risk factors of heart disease such as high cholesterol and hypertension.
Since individuals seek out medical advice long before they consider assistance from a personal trainer, the measure argued the importance of doctors condoning the use of exercise to assist with obesity problems. With the medical field supporting the notion of a fitness program, it serves as reinforcement for the general population of Americans to make exercise an essential part of their lives.
Guidelines included discussing the following topics with the patient:
As the subject in our story discovered, metabolism begins to naturally slow down as we age, but there are actions we can take to help the situation. You do not have to wait for your doctor to write you a prescription for treatment. You do not even have to hit the local drugstore to obtain over-the-counter medicine. Exercise is a therapy that is always accessible to you and nothing beats the resulting quality of life that it has to offer.
Sugar and Spice and Things Not So Nice
I may be mistaken, but it seems that the sweet little girls of yesterday have become so…bold! Actually, the word ‘bold’ is an understatement. I have noted many examples in the various settings throughout my community, but I do not believe it is an isolated incidence. The behavior I am referring to ranges from rudeness and aggression to downright mean and nasty dispositions.
In Excess of Portion
My husband and I recently visited a popular Chinese restaurant chain. I must say that it is no wonder that this eatery is represented by a rotund little bear. The rice alone equated to around four to five servings…in one meal! This along with the other generous rations left us both with a few thoughts on the lack of self-control versus the available meal sizes in some of the fast-er food eateries. We cannot just blame the commercialized burger chains for promoting obesity in the states. I shake my head in frustration when I see this perfect example of the carbohydrate portion gone awry, followed by the whining of diet gurus that revel in a major nutrient’s supposed betrayal.
Mother in Good Humor
Children - the little buggers can drain your energy, break your valuables and absolutely send you to the moon sometimes. The range of trouble can go from babies with their high decibel crying to toddlers with their never-ending, cluttering curiosity to your preschooler with his gripes and whines and on to your grade-schooler with her indignant attitudes. I have not yet the privilege of the higher ages yet, but I hear it escalates to over-sensitivity and highly dramatic meltdowns. With all this chaos, you have to wonder sometimes why we make the commitment to enter into motherhood. While the answer is not always immediately clear, we all know and can relate to the flipside of parenthood that offers a heapin' helpin' of good ‘ole fun and laughter!
