Thursday, December 30, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: Death and Beauty
My Life's Biggest Project: Death and Beauty: "I was watching Fox News this morning and they were talking about how every year people talk about losing weight as their New Year resolution..."
Death and Beauty
I was watching Fox News this morning and they were talking about how every year people talk about losing weight as their New Year resolution. As a result they had a personal trainer named Michael Watkins on to talk about how you an do some real quick workouts in your house or apartment. The point to this story was that you don't need to go to the gym to stay in shape. He talked about getting a medicine ball to do crunches, do push ups, and squats. He said if you only do a few minutes per exercise you can end up doing a 20 minute workout and never having to leave the house.
The anchor, Ann Sterling then asked what one should do when you get in a rut and just don't feel like working out. Watkins suggests finding a buddy to workout with beacuse that causes you to be accountable. Since people hate disapointing their friends you will be much more likely to show up for the workout. The other suggestion he gave was to be realistic about your goals. That way you will not beome overwhelmed.
Realistic goals are important. Not only when it comes to working out, but also when it comes to eating. Another story that made headlines today was the death of French actress and model Isabelle Caro who died at the age of 28. Caro had been the international symbol for her struggle with anorexia nervosa, more commonly known as anorexia.
Caro was well known for being featured naked in what was considered a "shocking 2007 campaign to highlight the ailment", according to an article on aol.com. Caro was featured on Jessica Simpson's television documentary series called The Price of Beauty. Caro's story apparently brought Simpson to tears.
The billboard campaign that Caro was a part of was endorsed by the Italian Ministry of Health and was shot by photographer Olivero Toscani. The billboard ran in Milan during Fashion Week. At the time that the photo was taken for the billboard Caro was reported to weigh only 68 pounds and was 5ft 4in in height. The intent of the billboard was to raise awareness within the fashion industry about eating disorders. Fashion designers were not happy about the billboard, thus the controversy.
Among some of the big names to raise an uproar about Caro's photo was Giorgio Armani who challenged that their is not a connection between anorexia and the fashion industry.
"Even people who take no notice of fashion get anorexic," said Armani.
Some more big names that had something to say about the billboard was Designers Dolce and Gabanna, they blame eating disorders on a "psychological ailment" and claim that anorexia has "nothing to do with fashion."
No matter what side of the fence you stand on in regard to fashion and anorexia, the one thing that can not be denied is how serious of a problem it is. I know being thin and comfortable in your own skin is important, but it is not worth risking your life. Please make healthy decisions. It's not about getting skinny, it should be about getting healthy. Anorexia and eating disorders are a disease and anything, but healthy. Caro was only 28 and that is very young. She had a whole life ahead of her. I turn 24 in just a few days and I can't imagine being dead in four years. It's really sad :(
Reports of Caro's death was announced yesterday, but according to her acting coach she actually died due to her eating disorder on Nov. 17 while she was working in Tokyo.
The anchor, Ann Sterling then asked what one should do when you get in a rut and just don't feel like working out. Watkins suggests finding a buddy to workout with beacuse that causes you to be accountable. Since people hate disapointing their friends you will be much more likely to show up for the workout. The other suggestion he gave was to be realistic about your goals. That way you will not beome overwhelmed.
Realistic goals are important. Not only when it comes to working out, but also when it comes to eating. Another story that made headlines today was the death of French actress and model Isabelle Caro who died at the age of 28. Caro had been the international symbol for her struggle with anorexia nervosa, more commonly known as anorexia.
 |
| Caro's skeletal and controversial billboard advertisement. |
The billboard campaign that Caro was a part of was endorsed by the Italian Ministry of Health and was shot by photographer Olivero Toscani. The billboard ran in Milan during Fashion Week. At the time that the photo was taken for the billboard Caro was reported to weigh only 68 pounds and was 5ft 4in in height. The intent of the billboard was to raise awareness within the fashion industry about eating disorders. Fashion designers were not happy about the billboard, thus the controversy.
Among some of the big names to raise an uproar about Caro's photo was Giorgio Armani who challenged that their is not a connection between anorexia and the fashion industry.
"Even people who take no notice of fashion get anorexic," said Armani.
Some more big names that had something to say about the billboard was Designers Dolce and Gabanna, they blame eating disorders on a "psychological ailment" and claim that anorexia has "nothing to do with fashion."
No matter what side of the fence you stand on in regard to fashion and anorexia, the one thing that can not be denied is how serious of a problem it is. I know being thin and comfortable in your own skin is important, but it is not worth risking your life. Please make healthy decisions. It's not about getting skinny, it should be about getting healthy. Anorexia and eating disorders are a disease and anything, but healthy. Caro was only 28 and that is very young. She had a whole life ahead of her. I turn 24 in just a few days and I can't imagine being dead in four years. It's really sad :(
Reports of Caro's death was announced yesterday, but according to her acting coach she actually died due to her eating disorder on Nov. 17 while she was working in Tokyo.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: Going Under the Knife
My Life's Biggest Project: Going Under the Knife: "Now I know what you're thinking and you are wrong. No I'm not having another surgery and I am not surgery obsessed either, but I did come ac..."
Going Under the Knife
Now I know what you're thinking and you are wrong. No I'm not having another surgery and I am not surgery obsessed either, but I did come across a few very intersting articles regarding weight loss surgery today. One of which talks about how the FDA is going to lower its standards for who is approved to undergo the lap band surgery. In the past this particular surgery was only available to those who were considered morbidly obese, but if the FDA passes the proposal then the procedure would then be available to those were were considered less obese.
This surgery was considered a less evasive way to lose weight than gastric bypass. In fact it was created as a non permanent alternative to do the exact same thing. In detail it is a ring is placed over the top of the stomach and inflated with saline to tighten it and restrict how much food can enter and pass through the stomach. This procedure has been available in the U.S. since 2001, but has been available in Europe and Australia much longer and is also more dominant in those countries.
To be a canidate for the Lap Band procedure under current standards one must have body mass index of 40 or higher, or a BMI of 35 or higher if the person suffers from a weight-related medical problem such as diabetes or high blood pressure according to the article posted on aol.com. Approximentley 15 million Americans currently meet this criteria. However if the proposal is adopted then it would lower the requirements for eligibility to a BMI of 35 or higher, or as low as 30 with one of the related health problems. By cutting it down this much it would increase the number of those eligible to have the procedure to 27 million, according to federal health data.
The problem then falls into cost. Most insurance companies will not pay for this procedure, and even the ones that do still require a co-pay that is often times several thousand dollars still. With the economy in its current situation plastic surgery has certainly gone down in the last year and it is thought that if the standards lower for those who are eligible to undergo this procedure less insurers will cover it. This is essentially one of those cases where you win some and lose some. the procedure can range from $14,000 to $20,000. The device itself costs $3,000.
This procedure is created to assist in weight loss, but will not take it all away. If I've said it once I'll say it a million more times there also (even after surgery) needs to be a lifestyle change. Having this procedure done would certainly speed up the process, but maintaining it would be completely up to the individual. I see the pros and cons to this for sure. One pro though is that it would speed up the process.
Often times people fail at diets because they are not seeing results quicly enough. With this procedure you would. One of the obvious cons to this procedure is that it is a surgery which means a healing period, which also means that something foreign is being placed in the body. Another downside to this is that if you don't change your ways you may be out thousands of dollars and for nothing.
What do you think about weight loss surgery? Do you feel like it is a good option? Me myself I am kind of sitting on the fence when it comes to this topic. Please let me know what you think or if you know of anyone who has undergone a procedure. I would love to hear their stories.
This surgery was considered a less evasive way to lose weight than gastric bypass. In fact it was created as a non permanent alternative to do the exact same thing. In detail it is a ring is placed over the top of the stomach and inflated with saline to tighten it and restrict how much food can enter and pass through the stomach. This procedure has been available in the U.S. since 2001, but has been available in Europe and Australia much longer and is also more dominant in those countries.
To be a canidate for the Lap Band procedure under current standards one must have body mass index of 40 or higher, or a BMI of 35 or higher if the person suffers from a weight-related medical problem such as diabetes or high blood pressure according to the article posted on aol.com. Approximentley 15 million Americans currently meet this criteria. However if the proposal is adopted then it would lower the requirements for eligibility to a BMI of 35 or higher, or as low as 30 with one of the related health problems. By cutting it down this much it would increase the number of those eligible to have the procedure to 27 million, according to federal health data.
The problem then falls into cost. Most insurance companies will not pay for this procedure, and even the ones that do still require a co-pay that is often times several thousand dollars still. With the economy in its current situation plastic surgery has certainly gone down in the last year and it is thought that if the standards lower for those who are eligible to undergo this procedure less insurers will cover it. This is essentially one of those cases where you win some and lose some. the procedure can range from $14,000 to $20,000. The device itself costs $3,000.
This procedure is created to assist in weight loss, but will not take it all away. If I've said it once I'll say it a million more times there also (even after surgery) needs to be a lifestyle change. Having this procedure done would certainly speed up the process, but maintaining it would be completely up to the individual. I see the pros and cons to this for sure. One pro though is that it would speed up the process.
Often times people fail at diets because they are not seeing results quicly enough. With this procedure you would. One of the obvious cons to this procedure is that it is a surgery which means a healing period, which also means that something foreign is being placed in the body. Another downside to this is that if you don't change your ways you may be out thousands of dollars and for nothing.
What do you think about weight loss surgery? Do you feel like it is a good option? Me myself I am kind of sitting on the fence when it comes to this topic. Please let me know what you think or if you know of anyone who has undergone a procedure. I would love to hear their stories.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: Merry Christmas to All
My Life's Biggest Project: Merry Christmas to All: "I hope that everyone is able to spend today with family friends and loved ones of all kinds. My family celebrated Christmas Eve last night. ..."
My Life's Biggest Project: Total Recall
My Life's Biggest Project: Total Recall: "It seems like often times in the news we hear about recalls and certain foods from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). We try and try to..."
Total Recall
It seems like often times in the news we hear about recalls and certain foods from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). We try and try to eat things that are good for us then we find out that there is some kind of salmonella or something contamination on the what we thought was healthy food that we are trying to consume. Guess what there is a new recall and it is on parsley and cilantro this time.
Let's recap shall we on the recalls that have occured in the last few years. Now I don't necessarily remember the exact order in which the food was recalled, but I do remember it happening. The first thing that I remember was the peanut butter recall. This one wasn't such a big deal in terms of health for people trying to be fit because peanut butter is jam packed with calories, but how many children consume peanut butter and jelly sandwiches daily? Big scare for people with children. Not to mention that I'm sure that this would be torture on one of my friends who is on OU's rowing team because that girl trains so hard all the time that peanut butter is definitely part of her diet for protein purposes.
After the peanut butter I remember tomatoes being recalled which was horrible to think of for me because I love me some tomatoes. I can eat those things like an apple. I simply slice them up, throw on some salt and pepper and I have a wonderful mid day snack. Then it was spinach. This was horrible to hear about. I for one love spinach. When I go to Subway for example I always have them put spinach on my sandwich instead of lettuce if they offer it. Also if I go to a salad bar and I see that they have romain lettuce or spinach I use that instead of iceberg too. Not just because they contain vitamins, but because they just taste better. Another reason I think is more of an aesthetic, but to me a salad should be bright green, not white.
Now we come to today's headlines and I see that parsley and cilantro is big in the news for a recall. According to the Associated Press (AP) a produce company out of Edinburg, Texas called J&D produce has confirmed a positive test for salmonella on curly parsley in Quebec and on cilantro in Detroit. The voluntary recall is on items packed on Nov. 30 and Dec. 6 (scary because that means they've probably been on shelves for a while now). There is more produce that runs on the same packaging lines and those items include the following: arugula, leek, collards, curly mustard, gold beet, kale, green swiss chard, plain mustard, plain parsley, kohlarbi, rainbow swiss chard, mint, methileaf, beets, daikon, red swiss chard, turnip greens and dill.
All of these products were packaged by the Little Bear brand and if you are a consumer with questions regarding this please feel free to call 1-956-380-0353. That company is open and available to take calls from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
It's scary that things like this happen all the time, but the news speaks for it self. One way to avoid this is to purchase your produce from organically grown farmers markets for example. It may be a little less convenient or a little more pricey, but face it all fresh produce is a littel on the expensive side. Plus you and your families health may be on the line and of course this is one of the things that should be on the top of your priority list to protect.
If you have any comments or questions regarding today's post, please let me know. Also if I missed any of the recall's from the past that you know of or that affected you please feel free to share your story with me. I always love to hear what you have to say. I hope that you all have a safe and wonderful day and that you are prepairing for an amazing new years! It will be here sooner than you know!
Let's recap shall we on the recalls that have occured in the last few years. Now I don't necessarily remember the exact order in which the food was recalled, but I do remember it happening. The first thing that I remember was the peanut butter recall. This one wasn't such a big deal in terms of health for people trying to be fit because peanut butter is jam packed with calories, but how many children consume peanut butter and jelly sandwiches daily? Big scare for people with children. Not to mention that I'm sure that this would be torture on one of my friends who is on OU's rowing team because that girl trains so hard all the time that peanut butter is definitely part of her diet for protein purposes.
After the peanut butter I remember tomatoes being recalled which was horrible to think of for me because I love me some tomatoes. I can eat those things like an apple. I simply slice them up, throw on some salt and pepper and I have a wonderful mid day snack. Then it was spinach. This was horrible to hear about. I for one love spinach. When I go to Subway for example I always have them put spinach on my sandwich instead of lettuce if they offer it. Also if I go to a salad bar and I see that they have romain lettuce or spinach I use that instead of iceberg too. Not just because they contain vitamins, but because they just taste better. Another reason I think is more of an aesthetic, but to me a salad should be bright green, not white.
Now we come to today's headlines and I see that parsley and cilantro is big in the news for a recall. According to the Associated Press (AP) a produce company out of Edinburg, Texas called J&D produce has confirmed a positive test for salmonella on curly parsley in Quebec and on cilantro in Detroit. The voluntary recall is on items packed on Nov. 30 and Dec. 6 (scary because that means they've probably been on shelves for a while now). There is more produce that runs on the same packaging lines and those items include the following: arugula, leek, collards, curly mustard, gold beet, kale, green swiss chard, plain mustard, plain parsley, kohlarbi, rainbow swiss chard, mint, methileaf, beets, daikon, red swiss chard, turnip greens and dill.
All of these products were packaged by the Little Bear brand and if you are a consumer with questions regarding this please feel free to call 1-956-380-0353. That company is open and available to take calls from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
It's scary that things like this happen all the time, but the news speaks for it self. One way to avoid this is to purchase your produce from organically grown farmers markets for example. It may be a little less convenient or a little more pricey, but face it all fresh produce is a littel on the expensive side. Plus you and your families health may be on the line and of course this is one of the things that should be on the top of your priority list to protect.
If you have any comments or questions regarding today's post, please let me know. Also if I missed any of the recall's from the past that you know of or that affected you please feel free to share your story with me. I always love to hear what you have to say. I hope that you all have a safe and wonderful day and that you are prepairing for an amazing new years! It will be here sooner than you know!
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