Lost and Found – a Novel by Ron Rink

The Wellness of YOU! — Part Seventeen
Major Article on Wellness
January 30, 2006

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Hello everyone — I am actually posting this on January 30 — but I’m dating it for the 31st. I’m having eye surgery done as you are reading this, so I’m not able to do any writing today. Maybe with a little luck, I’ll be able to do a short article or two over the next few days.

This one is an article written by Nicholas D. Kristoff that appeared in the New York Times on January 29, 2006. It’s about the governor of Arkansas and what happened to and with him after he discovered he had type 2 diabetes in 2003.

It’s a powerful article and I hope you get out of it what I did.
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January 29, 2006 (NYT)

Op-Ed Columnist
Mike Huckabee Lost 110 Pounds. Ask Him How.

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.

In 2003, Mike Huckabee, the governor of Arkansas, learned he had type 2 diabetes.

His doctor told him he would probably be dead in 10 years — and that terrified him enough to start exercising, eschew sugar and lose about 110 pounds (at 5 feet 11 inches, he’s now 180 pounds). His first attempts at jogging left him dizzy after a few hundred yards, but now he is running marathons.

That would be a nice, inspiring tale if it ended there, but instead it has been the starting point. Mr. Huckabee has become a health care policy wonk, and with the help of national experts he has begun a series of clever initiatives to fight obesity. They are among the most creative steps under way in America at any level of the political process.

Arkansas has become a national laboratory for using policy levers to try to encourage healthier lifestyles. Other states and the federal government should adopt the same steps — like curbing soft drinks in schools, informing all parents of their children’s body mass index as a step to encouraging fitness, giving exercise breaks as well as smoking breaks, paying for preventive health checks like mammograms and prostate examinations, subsidizing efforts to quit smoking and seeking to give food stamps more purchasing power when they are used to buy fruits or vegetables.

I know all this sounds banal. Perhaps I should be using this journalistic real estate to thunder about grand issues like the Iraq war or Middle East peace or corruption in Congress. But remember that fat kills far more Americans than terrorists. Indeed, The New England Journal of Medicine reported last year that because of rising obesity, life expectancy in the U.S. might soon stop rising and could drop.

So if our government wants to keep our children safe, it doesn’t just have to go after terrorists in Afghanistan. It also has to go after Twinkies at home.

Mr. Huckabee, the current chairman of the National Governors Association, is a conservative Republican (and a potential candidate for president in 2008), with whom I disagree on just about everything. But he’s doing more to safeguard the lives of his constituents than just about any politician in the country. And it makes financial sense.

“I don’t want to be the sugar sheriff,” Mr. Huckabee explained in an interview in his office. “I don’t want to be the grease police. That’s not my job. But when I look at our state budget, and I see that every year our Medicaid budget is increasing by 9 to 10 percent, and I look at state employees’ health plans and I see that those costs are escalating at double digits and twice the rate of inflation — as a fiscal manager, I have not only the right but frankly also the responsibility to see what can we do to improve this bottom-line cost.”

Repeatedly, Mr. Huckabee came back to the same argument: Obesity is reducing not only the quality of life of Americans, but also the fiscal soundness of our government and the competitiveness of our businesses.

“This year, G.M. will spend more on health care for employees and pensioners than on steel,” Mr. Huckabee noted. “Starbucks will spend more on health care than on coffee beans.”

Obesity is linked to 112,000 deaths a year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and leads to an extra $75 billion in direct medical costs. Mr. Huckabee argues that it would be worth paying small sums — for a session with a fitness trainer or a diet counselor — to avoid paying the far greater costs of heart disease and diabetes later.

Consider type 2 diabetes — the ailment that afflicted Mr. Huckabee (but which has now gone away, thanks to his regimen of salads and exercise). It has increased tenfold among children in just the last 20 years.

As a series in this newspaper about diabetes recently noted, one-third of today’s 5-year-olds in America are projected to get diabetes at some point in their lives. It’s already the leading cause of blindness, and a 10-year-old who has diabetes loses 19 years of life expectancy.

Imagine if Al Qaeda had resolved to attack us not with conventional chemical weapons but by slipping large amounts of high-fructose corn syrup into our food supply. That would finally rouse us to action — but in fact it’s pretty much what we’re doing to ourselves.

So what practical steps do we take? That’s on the menu for a forthcoming column.
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The Wellness of YOU! — Part Sixteen
More Food Label Goodies
January 30, 2006

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Did you have a good Sunday? It was a quiet day around here yesterday. Just relaxed and enjoyed watching some of the Buick Open.

I may not be posting for the next couple of days as I’m going to go in for cataract surgery tomorrow. I had my left eye done a couple of years ago and the time has come to do the other eye. So, I’ll be a “one-eyed monster” for a couple of days. If I can see to type and read with the one eye, I’ll at least get a short article here for you. Otherwise it may be later in the week before I get back to it.

On Saturday we were talking in general terms about what’s on food labels. Today, we’ll take a look at them in more detail and see if we can show you what to look for when you read. Remember, it’s your wellness, health and fitness we’re talking about — and reading food labels is a big part of the process.

Here’s what to look for on food labels:

First, and vitally important is the Serving Size:

This is vital to read because everything that follows it is based on it. The Serving Size is usually located near the top of the label. When you read the serving size, be sure you also see how many servings are included.

For example, if you’re looking at the label on one of those one cup containers of yogurt but the serving size is one-half cup, you’ll have to double all the other numbers on the label if you decide to eat the whole cup. If the number of calories for one serving (1/2 cup) is 100 calories, and you eat the whole cup of yogurt, you’ve eaten 200 calories.

Many people will just look at the calorie figure and think that’s for the entire contents, so be sure to check the serving size first.

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The Wellness of YOU!!– Part Fifteen
One Sure Way to Better Wellness
Food Labels
January 28, 2006

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Perhaps there’s a reason you are going to read this particular message at this particular time. Is it possible that your life is about to change starting at this moment?

http://www.proactivityteam.com/ronrink
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Yes — Today is my birthday. As some of you know I am not a young “whippersnapper” anymore, but my mind and heart are those of a much younger person. Yes, the years are beginning to show on my physical body. But one secret that I have learned is that if you feel good — if you are healthy and fit — you won’t be noticing the chronological age much at all. I do know that you can’t fight getting older — that is going to happen no matter what you do — but it’s a lot more fun to grow old healthy than it would be to grow old sick.

That’s why I do the research to write these articles — it is to help you to get a clearer understanding of how to experience wellness and fitness as you experience your own “circles around the sun” — and let’s be honest here — it is also to help me stay focused on my own wellness.

One of the things that has helped me so much is that I truly believe all this stuff I write here. I believe it because I’m living proof that this advice really does work.

I’ve expounded in these articles over and over to READ THE LABELS on food items that you purchase.

Most packaged foods you buy at the grocery store have a food label. Those labels tell a detailed story about what’s in the package. They’ll tell you what size a serving size is — they tell you how many calories are in that serving, plus things like how much salt, sugar, fat, cholesterol, vitamins, minerals and the actual ingredients that make up this product.

I am always urging you to make a habit of reading the labels. One of the things I haven’t mentioned is the more prominent habit of reading the price instead of the food label. I can tell you this, though — the lower the price the less healthy that food item is likely to be. That is a crying shame — but that’s the way it is. It will cost you a few more pennies to eat healthy.

Here’s the question you need to ask yourself — what is your health worth? Is the process of investing a few cents more to avoid heart attacks, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and a variety of other illnesses worth it?

If you will get into the habit of reading food labels rather than just looking for the sale item and tossing the cheapest thing you can find into the cart, you may spend a few more cents — but think of it as an investment in your long-term wellness.

Once you know what to look for on those labels, you’ll see that it doesn’t take much time at all. It will be time well spent — and — I’ve found that sometimes the food that has a GOOD food label is often also on sale. (Hmmm — the best of both worlds!)

In the next article I’ll spend some time showing you what to look for on those labels. I’ll take the mystery out of that process for you. Be sure to check back here. I’ll write again either tomorrow (Sunday the 29th) or Monday.

Have a great weekend and stay focused on your wellness, health and fitness.

Shanti,

Ron

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The Wellness of YOU! – Part Fourteen
More Ideas on Staying Healthy
January 27, 2006

Today’s article may, in some way, be a repeat of things we have mentioned in previous days, but it is meant to be more of a refocusing on the basics of wellness, health and fitness. I’m still talking mostly about healthy eating and would like to reinforce the fact that with a little planning you can make your meals healthy ones, day after day.

First — your pantry shelves — keep them stocked the right way.

Keeping your shelves stocked with a supply of healthy foods is key to preparing nutritious meals. When you shop, be sure to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables, poultry, fish, yogurt, low-fat cheeses, and whole-grain breads and cereals. Also buy foods with a shelf life, such as canned tuna and salmon, beans, oats, brown rice, tomato sauce, olive oil, and soup broth. Frozen fruits and vegetables will come in handy when you run out of fresh produce or don’t have extra time to wash, peel, and chop.

Once you have your pantry and kitchen shelves stocked with staples, you’re ready to create those simple, healthy meals:

* Grab some vegetables and cut-up chicken for a quick stir-fry. Buying pre-cut and pre-cooked ingredients can help if you’re pressed for time. Spark up your stir-fry with some canned water chestnuts, mushrooms, or some of those Chinese vegetables available at most grocery stores.
* Try a cold salad on a hot summer night or in front of the fireplace when it’s cold outside. Throw in some canned beans, peas, or corn — toss in some cubed cheese or leftover chicken, or tuna for a filling meal.
* Fill a whole wheat taco or tortilla with your favorite ingredients and top with salsa and spices. Using fragrant herbs and spices will add flavor and excitement to the simplest meals. You can store cilantro, rosemary, thyme, cayenne pepper, ginger, and any other favorites that add zest and zing.
* Boil your favorite whole wheat pasta and try a variety of toppings, including cooked vegetables and grated parmesan cheese. You can buy already prepared tomato and pesto, sauces.
* Have breakfast for dinner. Make an omelet with veggies and low-fat cheese. Enjoy some wheat toast and fruit on the side.

There will always be leftovers — learn to love them.

If you can find some time to cook more involved meals, plan on making extra for the freezer. When you’re pressed for time later, just take some of those leftovers out of the freezer and pop them into the refrigerator when you leave for work in the morning. Then, all you have to do is warm it up in the microwave when you get home. If you do buy frozen dinners for those nights when there’s no time to cook, read the labels and avoid those that are high in fat, salt and calories.

Think leftovers when dining out, too. Rather than stuff yourself with all of the oversized restaurant servings, bring home what you can’t finish. You can even request that doggie bag when you order, so you eat less and have leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day.

All it takes is a little planning — and staying focused on your wellness, health and fitness — to ensure you will always have healthy meals. Stay with your program and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Remember, you are what you eat!

Until tomorrow — have a great, healthy day.

Shanti,

Ron
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Perhaps there’s a reason you chose to read this particular message at this particular time.

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The Wellness of YOU! — Part Thirteen
How To Eat Right When You’re Busy
January 26, 2006

One of the often used excuses for not keeping up with our wellness and fitness program is, “I’m way too busy to take the time!”

There is a fallacy to that, though — an important fallacy. When you are racing around trying to keep up with a crazy schedule — that’s when healthy eating is more important than ever. Your body is much more able to handle the stress of meeting deadlines when it has been given good nutrition.

Here are some thoughts on how to eat well even when you’re on the run.

When you find it necessary to eat in a restaurant it is so easy to skip your wellness goals — those menus are so tempting and the portions are usually much too large. This is when you can use your intelligence and eat smart.

* Choose restaurants wisely. Restaurants that offer a variety of foods are a good choice. Avoid all-you-can-eat, buffet-only, and dessert-cart places. Try going Asian or vegetarian. They will give you a lot of tasty options.
* Pass on the bread and butter. Or, ask for whole wheat and try it without butter. The best option is to stick with water.
* If you must have an appetizer, order soup made with broth rather than cream.
* Say “No” to the gravies, rich sauces, and breaded and fried foods. Ask to have your salad dressing on the side and use it sparingly.
* Opt for steamed, poached, broiled, baked, grilled, roasted, stir-fried, or lightly sauteed foods.
* If the restaurant servings are huge, split an entré, order one or two appetizers instead, or immediately doggy-bag half your meal for the next day. Eat the same portions out that you do at home.
* Try herbal tea or decaffeinated coffee for dessert. If you absolutely can’t resist the dessert tray, split your sweets with at least one other diner. And, only do that if it’s a rarity. Remember what I wrote yesterday about the sugar.
* Consider ordering a la carte. It might cost more, but your portions are likely to be smaller. You also have a better chance of getting just what you want, the way you want it.

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