Mar 30 2007
Practical Advice
From the champuru health & fitness blog:
Today, I went in for a routine physical to ensure that my body is in decent shape to endure my upcoming surgery. My regular primary care physician was on vacation, so I opted to make an appointment with another family care doctor at the same clinic. Seated before a wall-mounted flat panel, the doctor queried me about my family medical history, current medications and past and present maladies.
His computer did a quick calculation of my BMI and found it to be 23.6.
* Underweight = <18.5
* Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
* Overweight = 25-29.9
* Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
As you can see, 23.6 puts me in the “normal weight” category — but I am pushing the upper limits. So, I asked him, what can I do to stop the upward creep toward the overweight category? Here’s what he said:
1. Exercise 4-6 times a week for 30 minutes.
2. Eat 5 meals a day. A hearty breakfast (never skip), snack, lunch, snack, and a light dinner eaten as early as possible.
3. Start eating whole grains: whole wheat bread, brown rice. If you eat white rice, try not to eat it for dinner.
He mentioned that exercise is even more important than following a strict diet. Incorporating exercise into your schedule is the best thing you can do for your health to avoid preventable ailments such as heart disease and diabetes.
None of this is new, but knowing it is one thing, applying it is another. How are you doing with incorporating these changes into your lifestyle?
Oh, and to follow up on my previous post about appearing to have lost weight? I suppose it was all a clever optical illusion, since my weight has not changed since my last visit to the doctor a few months ago. But let’s look at the bright side: at least I haven’t gained any weight since then.
A 30-something Christian girl, blissfully wedded to her perfect match (the yang to her yin) of 14 years. Living life in Hawaii, less than 5 miles from her hometown, a slave to her mortgage payment, but seeking balance in her pursuit of family, faith, recreation, and rest.
What kind of snacks did he say you can eat? I’m sure he didn’t say cookies and ice cream right? I’d love to follow that diet plan but everytime I think snack, I think chips, cookies, doughnuts… *gah* now i’m hungry!
kimonostereo: The snacks he suggested were fruits, nuts, something at least semi-healthy. The idea is to eat a little bit in between meals so you don’t completely pig out for lunch or dinner. He did say that you don’t have to deprive yourself of eating your favorite not-so-healthy fare — but the more important thing is to exercise regularly. Good luck with your healthy eating and exercise! (And if you want to join our health & fitness blog — http://health.champuru.net, just let me know! We’d love to have you!)