Saturday, May 07, 2005
Fixing Healthcare: A Healthier America Part II
Two more issues. Diet and exercise. Nothing earth-shattering here. Our obesity epidemic is common knowledge now. When I was a wee lad (body weight then vs. nowA) in medical school, I noticed that hospital patients on the medical/surgical floors were for the most part there because they drank too much, smoked or were fat. Hence the simple solution for health: Don't smoke. Drink in moderation or better yet less than moderate. Stay at a decent body weight.
The last is the tough one for most Americans. At least for me. After over thirty years of eating freely, I wasn't so automaticaly lean. My famous reputation for gluttony was no longer refered to as a "hollow leg." Some of it was not being so on the run in my profession. I also was in the money and could live richer. I dated a former beauty queen who shared my love for large amounts of food. On my dime of course. Then a gifted cook and baker. Then another former beauty queen who was the junk food queen. Of course I got older too. And a number of orthopedic injuries limited my activity too.
For all the diet plans and all those bestsellers, the calorie theory of weight loss/gain still is at least a major factor. Calories in per diet. Calories out per activity. Simple but hard to do. Like many things in life.
We simply eat too much. Fake cream fats and sugar for the coffee along with those donuts or other junk that sits out tempting us at the office. Lunch out. Burger and fries? Supersize that sir? And the endless refills on that sugared soda. Every office celebration means food. Hard to say no. Snack time? Hit the vending machine. Search out those candy sources in the office. After dinner the TV beckons with its food ads. Like Homer Simpson we start to salivate...
And our exercise habits. Right. For all the gyms and fads, we get little. Observe the waiting and circling for that close parking space, even at the gym. Sports means food and drink at the stadium or in front of that TV again. Here in the Golden State, many or most don't do the home labor either: Lawn care, gardening, washing the car, housecleaning,... We drive everywhere. the kids stay inside on the game box. Even the working class often has machines doing the hard labor.
Like smoking, drinking and drugs; getting on-board with diet and exercise would further elevate our well-being and reduce our health care costs dramatically. These choices are the best, simplest and cheapest solutions to our health care crisis. Period.
The last is the tough one for most Americans. At least for me. After over thirty years of eating freely, I wasn't so automaticaly lean. My famous reputation for gluttony was no longer refered to as a "hollow leg." Some of it was not being so on the run in my profession. I also was in the money and could live richer. I dated a former beauty queen who shared my love for large amounts of food. On my dime of course. Then a gifted cook and baker. Then another former beauty queen who was the junk food queen. Of course I got older too. And a number of orthopedic injuries limited my activity too.
For all the diet plans and all those bestsellers, the calorie theory of weight loss/gain still is at least a major factor. Calories in per diet. Calories out per activity. Simple but hard to do. Like many things in life.
We simply eat too much. Fake cream fats and sugar for the coffee along with those donuts or other junk that sits out tempting us at the office. Lunch out. Burger and fries? Supersize that sir? And the endless refills on that sugared soda. Every office celebration means food. Hard to say no. Snack time? Hit the vending machine. Search out those candy sources in the office. After dinner the TV beckons with its food ads. Like Homer Simpson we start to salivate...
And our exercise habits. Right. For all the gyms and fads, we get little. Observe the waiting and circling for that close parking space, even at the gym. Sports means food and drink at the stadium or in front of that TV again. Here in the Golden State, many or most don't do the home labor either: Lawn care, gardening, washing the car, housecleaning,... We drive everywhere. the kids stay inside on the game box. Even the working class often has machines doing the hard labor.
Like smoking, drinking and drugs; getting on-board with diet and exercise would further elevate our well-being and reduce our health care costs dramatically. These choices are the best, simplest and cheapest solutions to our health care crisis. Period.
