What’s Your Health Worth?

Articles

Julia Sherman

What’s Your Health Worth?
Mar 18, 2004

In today’s American world health fads are a billion-dollar industry. Promising everything from fast weight loss to diets for life and easy plans.

We as Americans spend on average five hundred dollars per year just to attempt to keep our New years resolution Promise of loose weight, which is also the number 1 New Years Resolution. Which is the first promise that we fail to keep within the first three months of the New Year.

We purchase diet foods, diet drinks, weight loss shakes, energy bars, exercise equipment, exercise tapes and dvds, money n personal trainers and so on. Only t have them all sit in the back closet for us to sell on ebay to the next person who tries to keep a promise.

We give it a good go, but somewhere between the diet shake and the noon meal shake a big thick hamburger calls to us.

So to help we have the TV and diet gurus, Atkins, Zone Carb Busters. All are good for healthy people to loose a few pounds, but they have become the national panacea. That is supposedly its good for everyone. So much so, that these gurus have convinced the fast food industry to participate. And they are reaping in the dollars by marketing these healthy alternatives. And like the expose of the past on the salad bars what they don’t tell you is that after all is said and done, you are still hungry. Simply put the body needs carbohydrates for energy. With out them we don’t feel sated.

There are many secondary conditions and diseases that afflict the burgeoning public. Kidney problems called Microalbinuria (protein in urine) due to overload of proteins the kidneys become over whelmed and proteins create a new acid, just as dangerous as ketones and dissolve the kidney tissue itself. What they don’t tell you in the Atkins plan is t use urine test s strips to detect nitrites, proteins and a pH difference. So by trying to help ourselves we have actually created a health issue, that is currently be dd5essed by the NIDDK and the National Kidney Foundation.

On average according to nutrition guidelines the average person of adult age should have no more than 51-60 grams of protein in a day. Yet with the new protein diets the excess is upwards of 60- 80 or even higher.With carbohydrates if eaten at all, is relatively low about 60 per day. According to these experts the food guide pyramid is bunk, and will cause problems. Yet these experts are not on their diets half the time either. And instead opt for the food development industry to create for public consumption items that they will buy. So is it marketing or health? You decide n that point.

Right Now the average American and many Americanized ethnic groups are bearing the brunt of fads and an overabundance of quick foods. That is we have some of the highest rates in the world for obesity, back problems due to over weight, diabetes (India is number 1 with 47 percent population being diabetic), heart disease is number 1 and some forms of cancer. According to the NIH, ADA, AHA** many current health related problems can be attributed to the lifestyles that we have before us. In the land of plenty we are the results of the glut. And it shows.

Unless you have certain diseases like intersistial cellulitis or Queen of Punts disease, Pickwick syndrome, Stein Leventhal and so on. All these companies simply make money off of you and create a cycle of failure. Often these diseases and conditions create a constant overweight gain that can not be controlled no matter what we do, and these people often bear the brunt of the non-sympathetic public. Always looking at them with loathing and a sideways glance. And often these people buy a majority of the weight loss products in hopes of the “ promise” They give.

With many people looking for weight loss and heath products on the market, we have overlooked the simplest, time honored and proven method. Inexplicably people just don’t believe what you can do at home. Eat right, and exercise. Though at times easier said than done. One of the problems we face is that too often our efforts go unrewarded. That is we see no results or they are slow in forthcoming. So we give up. But what’s your own health worth to you? Wouldn’t you like to be rewarded for the effort that you put into working out and eating right? And what if you could earn a reward, doing things you like and already doing. What if that reward only requires 30 minutes a day 5 times week?

Welcome to The President Fitness Challenge. (This was originally called The Presidential Sport Fitness Award). Under President Bush and the NIH, in order to address the current situation with health problems on the rise, The Presidents Challenge was born. And a challenge it is. That is for you to actually commit to something that doesn't take away from your life. The Challenge is simple; simply do 30 minutes of exercise (any type) five times a week, and at the end of 6 weeks order your certificate.

“It only takes a small change. Instead of telling yourself you can't, tell yourself you can. The President's Challenge is a program that encourages all Americans to make being active part of their everyday lives. No matter what your activity and fitness level, the President's Challenge can help motivate you to improve. “

You needn’t do anything complicated or even out of your daily routine. Weekly activities count too! Just imagine doing housework, gardening, bowling, mowing the lawn, walking, and playing Frisbee How about Stretching, calisthenics and more.

And the benefits outweigh the effort. A chance to see yourself do something positive, gain a feeling of better health, maybe even reduce medications, loose unwanted inches (muscle takes up place of fat and in many cases doesn’t change the weight just your size) and overall in general feel better about yourself. So go ahead try it. And se your rewards to better health be recognized.

**National Institute of Health, American Diabetes Foundation, American Heart Association,

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Email Julia Sherman: jimmysdevoted2@bellsouth.net

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