You're Killing Me Smalls

I frequently receive forwarded emails from family, friends, and even strangers advising me of the latest information that will help me stay healthy and add years of longevity to my life.  This information includes household products we should stay away from, the most recent virus (both health and computer-wise), or the top 10 ways to avoid cancer. While I am very thankful that loved ones are looking out for me (and I really do appreciate and use the health advise), I very rarely ever receive an email that addresses our everyday efforts to stay healthy. 

Yes, these emails tackle important issues such as avoiding too much radiation from microwaves, not drinking from plastic bottles, and washing your hands to avoid getting the flu, but it is amazing the impact that a little physical activity can have on your well-being. Steven Blair wrote a very inspiring article on how inactivity is now the biggest health problem facing our world in the 21st century: http://bjsm.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/43/1/1?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=physical+inactivity:+biggest+problem&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT It is incredible to me how little attention is brought to obesity. Afterall, obesity plays a major role in the onset of both obvious diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke) and less obvious diseases (osteoarthritis, depression, cancer, liver disease), and is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths (Barness et al., 2007; Mokdad et al., 2004; Allison et al., 1999). Not to mention the annual $80 billion spent on medical costs and roughly $100 billion on diet products in the U.S. alone (Finkelstein et al, 2003). It makes me more nauseous than when I watched Super Size Me. 

It always amazes me when I watch the news and see a doctor who doesn't look as though s/he has ever attempted to stay fit, has just revealed a new miracle drug that will help the "genetically pre-disposed" to lose weight. Some of you may be thinking that I have no idea what the doctor and his/her patients have been through; they may in fact be trying very hard to be healthy.  This argument warrants a lot of attention, and you are right, I have no idea what that person has been through. I have also been very fortunate to never have had a weight problem and have been active ever since I could open my eyes. But the fact of the matter is we like to do a lot of talking and we also like things to come easy. Guess what? Staying healthy and fit comes at a price.  As my colleague Cliff Harvey says, "Talk is cheap and dreams are free. We are judged by our intentions and defined by our actions." 

You would think that with all of the new technology and the latest commercials telling us about these diets and pills that we would have cured obesity by now. Yet, as a world, we are as big and unhealthy as we have ever been. It is such a gross over-simplification and extreme laziness to think that by cutting out one thing in our diet, we can lower our cholesterol and suddenly become healthy again. I can't tell you how many people have come to me after I have referred them to a dietitian and said, "well, I already new that, tell me something new." Or how many people come to me to lose weight in the gym but aren't prepared to put the effort in that we know it takes to do so.  Because, we aren't just trying to lose weight, we are trying to be healthy, and develop life skills and actions that can lead to change. Leading a healthy lifestyle is not rocketscience...but it does take effort. Find someone who inspires you and find out how they got to where they are now. Surround yourself with positive people that will reinforce your healthy efforts, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and find out what it means to work hard. 

Finally, some of you may ask, why the title "You're Killing Me Smalls". This quote is from one of my favourite sports movies, The Sandlot. If you haven't seen it, where have you been? Please rent it. Even if you don't like baseball, this movie seems to carry endless messages that can be carried over into real life. We can learn a lot from the fellas that fill the sandlot each day about teamwork, confronting and tackling our fears, playing for the fun of the game, tradition, and even a lesson in trash-talking. And for crying out loud...PLAYING OUTSIDE! But the quote itself seems to speak to the message that I'm trying to send. So many people are more concerned about making changes that require minimal effort, yet the changes that can have the biggest impact on our health are ignored because they are perceived as too hard....YOU'RE KILLING ME SMALLS! 

References

Barness LA, Opitz JM, Gilbert-Barness E (December 2007). "Obesity: genetic, molecular, and environmental aspects". Am. J. Med. Genet. A 143A (24): 3016–34.

Dollman J, Norton K, Norton L (December 2005). "Evidence for secular trends in children's physical activity behaviour". Br J Sports Med 39 (12): 892–7; discussion 897.

Finkelstein EA, Fiebelkorn IA, Wang G (01 Jan 2003). "National medical spending attributable to overweight and obesity: How much, and who’s paying". Health Affairs Online (May).

Mokdad AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, Gerberding JL (March 2004). "Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000PDF). JAMA 291 (10): 1238–45.