Day 26: Tuesday on the Dr. Oz Show

On today's Dr. Oz show, Dr. Oz had the 700 lb woman on his program. If you click on the link below, you can get highlights from the program.  Sensationalism?  Veering towards Reality TV rather than "informative" TV? 

What is your reaction when you watch this woman?


Tuesday on The Dr. Oz Show

This woman complains that her mom and  husband have "enabled her" to wind up where she is.  Granted, she appears to have some understanding that her choices and lifestyle have contributed to her condition, but there is finger pointing as to why she keeps falling off the wagon.

 I shake my head when I hear adults saying that the reason they over drink is because of their "tumultuous upbringing".

Or "I am fat because of my spouse's cooking".

 The reason why someone is unable to hold down a job is because of their "restless" genes.

 "There's nothing I can do about. It runs in my family".

Whether it's a temperamental streak, sugar addiction or inability to see something through from start to finish.

I am motivated by the people who are the rags to riches heroes in life.  Health heroes in our own backyard. The fella in the Pursuit of Happiness, a true story of a homeless and unemployed man who became a successful, billionaire businessman exemplifies what one can do if you don't give up on your dream, use your strengths and work hard.  Some of the Dragon's Den hosts came from poverty stricken situations and saw through the visions that they clung to.

 My neighbour across the street survived heart surgery, quit smoking, he and his wife became vegetarians and they are in better physical shape now in their late sixties than ever before.  The custodian at my workplace after hearing his possible future prognosis, quit smoking, cold turkey and started eating better and exercising.  He looks healthy and no longer coughs or labours to breathe. 

Dr. Oz states something to the 700 lb woman that can be applicable to all: "I don't care how you fall. I care about you are getting yourself back up again".

 Dr. Oz also said, "You cannot always control life  or other people, but you can control  yourself".

Today's challenge for myself and all my dear readers: Be the change. Forgot about them. Who ever it was, is or will be  is not the question.  Work on the power of one. You.

Next time I find myself upset and finger pointing elsewhere, I will do a full circle and go back to the mirror. 

All of us have our personal and physical struggles that affect our well-being.  It''s easy to blame others.

Part of the human condition is to pass the buck rather than do what we can to invest in ourselves, improve our personal currency rate and make our health returns profitable. 

Daily deposits of responsibility and self-accountability  increase self-worth.

If you click on this poem from Mother Teresa it will enlarge and it sums up whether it is a you vs. me or us vs. them way of life that leads to happiness and health.

Day 25: Why Having a Good Night's Sleep = Good Health

My husband is from Northern Ireland. His sardonic British humour comes out in lots of ways. For instance, if he wants a turn watching his favourite TV show and I am on the couch, he is likely to tell me "better go get your sleep or you will get wrinkles". Or, "I see some new wrinkles, better head to bed".

Yes, I am a classic Sleeping Beauty.

 I do my best to go to bed at the same time every night. I try to be asleep by 10:30 p.m. 

In some ways, it might be every married person's dream to have a few hours on his or her own every night thanks to spouse who needs his or her sleep.  To have the couch and TV all to themselves.  Especially for a man. No chatter.  A quiet house with solitude. The channel on what he wants to watch.

I am pro-sleep. 

The people I know who stay up till midnight and then boast to everyone that they can survive with five hours of sleep a night usually look haggard despite what they say.

 Look at politicians.  Obama and his wife apparently wake up at four am to work out.  They both have full days at the White House and then they have functions to attend at night.  Most politicians look really wiped out and age quickly over the years. Yes, there is all the added stress "on the job". Could their hectic round' the clock schedules have something to do with it?

My grandparents all lived into their late eighties and early nineties.  They were "early to bed/early to rise" folks.

Does this mean the night owls are more susceptible to disease?  We all know of people who seem to be able to live off "the minimum number of hours of sleep". 

Frankly, it seems like a badge of honour for some who talk about their all nighters to finish up a late work project, fold laundry or to catch up personal time.

A recent study found that  people who had less than six hours of sleep at night had 50% higher rates of colon cancer.  It's correlational data but the theory is that higher levels of cortisol in the body wreck havoc throughout the body including stimulating  precancerous conditions such as polyps. 

Dr. Oz recommends that most people need to get at least seven or eight hours of sleep a night in order to stay healthy and keep weight off. Why? 

The less sleep you have, the more likely your cortisol stress hormones will rise which in turn make you hungrier, you eat more and gain belly fat.

Restorative sleep helps you stay wrinkle-free, boosts your immunity and helps regulate your hormones.

The big no-nos when it comes to sleep: Don't have a TV in your bedroom. Keep your bedroom for sleep and other adult night-time activities that involve turning on your internal converter. Watching TV before bed, keeping bright lights on, working on the computer....are all activities which mess up the melatonin production and levels in your body which regulate sleep cycles.  Dr. Oz even suggests dimming the lights on LED alarm clocks and other devices because those lights stimulate your body to be in an awake state.

If you need an alarm to wake up or find yourself dozing on the couch, stop making excuses.  You are sleep deprived according to research.  In fact, the longer you go without adequate sleep, the more likely your memory and reaction time is. Which influences your productivity, energy levels and safety issues when driving or operating other machinery.  Special agents who want to be successful interrogators know that sleep deprivation works.

What contributes to healthy sleep cycles? Going to bed and waking up the same time every day throughout the week. Keeping your bedroom dark and cool so your body temperature drops so you can fall asleep easier.  Avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed. Dimming the lights a few hours before bedtime. Not binging during dinner. Having a small snack e.g., cheese and crackers or bowl of cereal, before bed if you wake up hungry at night.

To sleep, perchance to sleep.  The science of sleep is covered by a gamut of health books across North America. 

Over 40% of couples sleep in separate bedrooms because one partner snores or tosses all night. Sleep apnea left untreated can lead to heart disease and diabetes.  Women entering menopause experience hot and cold flashes leaving them with disrupted sleep. New parents can't tell the difference between day nor night when the newborn arrives.  Physiologically, teens are brain-wired for a time to stay up late and sleep in till noon.  Some researchers suggest highschool should have a ten a.m. start and a dinner time finish to accomodate teens in puberty.  Throughout our life times our pattern of sleep changes, but the need for sleep does not diminish.

Last week Dr. Oz suggested that people set an alarm that goes off at the same time every night to remind people to go to bed at the same time. Having regularity, a bed-time routine and unwinding the mind and body all contribute to restful sleep.

Whether or not you are counting sheep at night or sleeping soundly, it's important not to neglect the last letter of the alphabet zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz deserves the utmost attention.

Sleep is a preventative measure that is as important as the other abcs of good health: aerobic exercise, breathing deeply, vitamin C..........it's equally vital for you and me!

Day 23 and Day 24: Closed until Monday

I went back to my doctor and I am on antibiotics now. I will not post anything over the weekend so I can concentrate on getting well soon.

Write to you on Monday, Maija

Day 21/22: An Apple A Day.....

Hello Dear Readers:  I have been eating an apple a day......but,

I still can't seem to shake off this chest cough.   I admit I haven't used the puffer after the first two days (from a week ago) because it was steroid based and I ended up with most of the side effects e.g., headaches, hoarseness and ironically coughing. Apparently there is a bad virus going around. My husband has colleagues who have come down with something similiar. Double click the image below to see what I am talking about.

 I will return to the doctor at the end of the work day. I will post a new entry this evening.  In the meantime, look after yourself!

Day Twenty-One: I Do......Tips For the " Marrieds"

What do hormones have to do with getting along with your spouse in marriage?  I will check in later tonight with details from today's Dr. Oz show. 

I have been rushing around all day and all evening so I am going to take the time to eat mindfully and return shortly to share what research Dr. Oz has dug up along with his panel of experts. 

Did you know that 63% of women will gain weight after getting married? My husband joked, "..maybe women are better off single".

Will Kate lose her svelte body a year from now?

Today on Dr. Oz, a leader from Weight Watchers, along with Dr. Oz shared tips to help couples keep weight off by eating healthy, working out together and supporting each other's weight loss goals together.

Once a single person becomes married, he or she is no longer preening and on the prowl.  You get off the market and overeat at the market!  It is easy to get so comfortable with one another and slip into unhealthy habits and a sedentary lifestyle.

To avoid falling in that trap, couples need to encourage one another to look after themselves by making healthy food choices, making exercise part of their together time and cheering each other towards better living.

Here is the deal on hormones and marriage c/o Dr. John Gray.  Dr. Gray was a guest on Dr. Oz today.  He is a long-time marriage counsellor and author of many best selling self-help books e.g., Venus and Mars series about relationships.  His latest book looks at the ways in which hormones shape the relationships between men and women.

For example, women operate on a 28 day or monthly hormonal cycle.  Women crave oxytocin  (e.g., nurturing gestures, cuddling, affection)  to help keep their stress hormones at bay, keep calm and to stay balanced. Oxtoycin does the opposite in men. It puts them to sleep.

Men have a seven day hormonal cycle where their testosterone builds up, peaks, is hopefully released (you know what I mean) and then the weekly cycle re-starts. Men who "get it" 2-3 times a week live twice as long as their male counterparts who are not as active). 

 (No wonder the modern day woman is tired. Not only do we bring home and cook the bacon, scrape and scrub the pan after everyone has consumed the bacon,   we have to keep everybody's fires lit for the sake of  male health).

Why do men crash at the end of the day and lounge around on the couch, too tired to pitch in or carry a conversation? Their testosterone is down and they need thirty to sixty minutes to rebuild their bodily levels. Women come home after a long day and want the feel good hormone, oxytocin to come to the rescue. They want to talk about their day, connect and soak up mutual caring.

What should Kate do after she has had long day and comes home to William vegging out on the couch?  Meanwhile, the house is a disaster, the sink is full of dirty dishes and there is a long to do list before bed-time.

 Dr. Gray said this dilemma is very common.  Kate needs to directly state to Will what she wants, "Will, would you take out the trash?" rather than asking, "Could you empty the dishwasher?"

What if Kate comes home and is super edgy?

What should Will do?

 Dr. Gray mentioned women are prone to mood swings when they skip meals and become hungry.  Blood sugar lows and highs create irritability in women.  Dr. Gray shared a recipe filled with a variety of protein nutrients to keep blood sugar balanced for women throughout the day.

Of course, Kate and Will are not the greatest examples of your everyday couple. If they need a helping hand, they can call one of their many personal assistants. 

However, Dr. Gray makes a concrete point. 

 Male and female biology influence behaviour but this doesn't excuse  behaviour.  Why not, work with these hormonal differences to find a middle ground where a couple can relate to one another regardless of "the his or her" hormones raging in the body.

Speaking of hormones, my female body is telling me she is tired. As it is nine p.m., I am calling it an early night and wishing you all a good night!

Bon nuit!

Day Twenty: U Turns, Detours, Short-Cuts...Map Your Way to Health

After heart disease, cancer is the second leading cause of death in North America.  Time to put on the brakes of some things many of us do every day that may be slowly contributing to the demise of our health. 

Dr. Oz revealed five habits that could lead to cancer and gave suggestions on what you can do to stay on the right track to good health.

The first wrong turn is overdosing on Vitamin E supplements.  Vitamin E is an antioxidant that is correlated to prevent lung cancer.  Too much Vitamin E in the body can damage DNA, become an anti-anit-oxidant and increase your risk of cancer.

 Instead, try to get your daily recommended intake of vitamin E in your diet. Dr. Oz suggested pistachios as an excellent source of vitamin E.

Wrong turn number two is not eating at the same time every day.  Our body goes into stress mode if we eat erratically by increasing our stress hormone, cortisol.  This leads to spikes in insulin, which causes inflammation and can up our risk of many cancers. 

Following a regular meal schedule helps ward off insulin highs and keeping a healthy snack with you in case your meal-time gets delayed such as an apple, keeps hunger away.

Number three wrong turn is not brushing and flossing our teeth regularly.  Once bacteria collects in our mouth, plaque forms leading to inflammation of the gums which increases the chance of cancer anywhere in the body. 

 Brush for a few minutes and floss every day.  In the past, my kids have used an egg timer, flipping it over so that they know when their three minutes of brushing is done. 

Not getting an adequate amount of sleep is the number four wrong turn which can lead to cancer.  This was studied recently and I have heard this statistic cited in a few sources that people who get less than six hours of sleep a night have a 50% higher chance of developing polyps in the colon that can become cancerous. Without enough sleep, our body does not produce enough melatonin which acts as an anti-oxidant and keeps cancer away. 

Dr. Oz came up with a great idea: set an alarm clock that goes off when it is time to go to bed. Get into a regular bedtime routine.

Last but not least, number five has to do with eating too many low-fat foods.  Those packaged diet fat free foods are usually overpacked with simple sugars and refined carbs (fillers) in order to replace the flavour from fat.  These fillers wind up spiking insulin levels in the body and can lead to weight gain and the insulin increases can bring on cancer-causing inflammation. 

 Indulge in healthy fats in moderation since these products contain Omega-3s which have been connected to protecting your body against cancer.  Better to eat a full-fat portion of a cookie or other product as a treat once in a while.  You know how much fat a regular cookie contains and you will not get hood-winked thinking that the low-fact snack product is better for you.

After watching this segment, my belief is that a holistic approach to good health is the way to go.

Encompassing healthy food choices, eating in moderation, not having too much or too little of a good thing, dental hygiene, counting the hours of sleep we get, avoiding diet foods that appear good for us but have poor ingredient substitutes and having a meal routine that our body can count on.

Health is about making a full circle from our individual starting points to where we want to end up.

 Hoping for many look-out vistas and rest-stops along the way.  We can get where we want to go by making better choices rather than winding up at a dead end.

Even when we make a wrong turn, the beauty about the human condition is that we can reverse, head out in a new direction and discover unventured trails.

Day Nineteen: I Love Me....I Love Me Not

 Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen reported in their "Real Age" e-mail newsletter, that a recent study revealed that high self-esteem may help lower the body's stress response. 

Is this why some people never seem to get sick?

What is self-esteem?  How do you know if you need to build "feel good about yourself" equity?   Would that dream job, perfect body or have to own it car be what you need to boost your self-love quota? "If only I lose x amount of pounds, I will be happy". "If I only land that promotion, I will be content".

Time to dig a little deeper into the roots of what real self-esteem is all about.

Can you boost your immunity and feel better physically if you feel good about yourself?

If you are kind to yourself then your body can handle stress better.  People who rated themselves as having high self-esteem had lower heart rates.  How can you improve your self-esteem?

Dr. Oz suggests five simple steps to a happier you and a happier life.

One, make time for a favourite past-time of yours every day e.g., listen to music, sitting in silence.  Having something fun just for yourself to look forward to can help balance out satisfaction and stress.

Two, stick with your work-out plan even when you are feeling low. It will strengthen your immunity and produce mood-boosting hormones. 

Three, practice stress-reduction strategies.  Try deep-breathing, yoga or meditation.  A brisk ten minute walk in the fresh air is a better choice than junk food when you are feeling anxious.

Four, volunteer or reach out and help others with an act of kindness.  Generosity, offering up your time and spirit  improves your well-being.

Five, spend time with your family, colleagues or friends at least once or twice a month.  Sharing a laugh or two,  getting support with the ups and downs of life, helps give you a balanced perspective to cope when the going gets tough.

Speaking from example, when I look after my own needs without feeling guilty with the mom/wife/teacher/grown child hat I wear, I am less prone to sickness and I am happy and relaxed. 

If I am busy trying to please everyone else in my circle, from family to succumbing to work pressures and start neglecting my basic needs e.g, from having enough sleep, to giving myself an uninterrupted lunch to personal time, I wind up getting stressed (and often come down with something). 

Be it a day in, day out crisis, from not finding your car keys to a squabble with  a family member. Or a larger life drama, such as going through a divorce or sick family member, your self-esteem is put to the test.   How do you surface when you are caught up in a melee?

When you are on an airplane, the flight attendant always reminds passengers travelling with young children, to put on their oxygen mask before attaching their children's masks.  Rescue workers such as lifeguards make sure that they are secure in their positioning before they throw out their life buoys or perform daring acts.

I once went to a stress management conference for educators.  The guest speaker gave suggestions on how to manage one's workload and time when it came to over burdening oneself with more commitments than one could handle.  Women often find themselves being super agreeable, saying yes to another request to meet other peoples' needs while neglecting their own well-being. 

"I would rather turn you down than let you down". Great line to remember before you run yourself down.

Cashing in on inner peace requires one to make a conscious effort to make some changes in one's life,.  Identify your individual stresses and think about what action you can take next time you are tempted to react.  "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change".

   The biggest reward of having high self-esteem is inner peace. Peace begins with ourselves. 

My first marriage was a decade long and it ended in divorce, nine years ago. At the time, I purchased a fridge magnet with a quote on it which helped me through my years as a single parent. Although I am remarried, I often re-read this special quote which sums up what self-esteem and peace are about:

"Peace - it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart (Anon)".

 A calm heart is a healthy heart.

Spoken from the heart,

Maija