wellness weekly

Less Weight Better Gas Mileage: MSN recently ran a story on line regarding the money that could be saved if Americans lost their excess weight. Though we are not all overweight and some are morbidly so, in the story by Shirley Steel, it was felt appropriate to say that the average American had twenty too many pounds. Losing the extra weight could improve gas mileage of cars and planes, reduce productivity losses and insurance and medical costs and save an estimated 4000 dollars per household.

Speaking of Productivity: Another article forwarded to me recently from Business Week, covers workplace wellness. The reason I received the email is because I am 100% for “junk food free” workplaces, fruit and water at meetings, higher prices for unhealthy food, and lower prices on insurance for those who modify their lifestyles based on a wellness profile. A point made in the story is one I feel quite strong about and that is – if the message is eat well move more, or some such variation, then the opportunity to do so must also be offered. And if we are encouraging our employees to eat less junk food than as employers we need to offer less of it or charge more for it. This is the same strategy that makes quit smoking programs more successful. Conversely, offering quit smoking programs and meds while also allowing employees to smoke at work sites isn’t only counterproductive, its counter intuitive. Now I realize that many people who smoke or eat junk food get upset by these kinds of policies. However, this is not about an infringement on the employee’s rights. I believe that companies that offer insurance as a benefit, or simply employ us, have a right to ask us to live as healthy as we can. You can smoke (as long as it is legal) and eat as you like, at your home, but the less opportunity you have to do so and the less acceptance you get for doing so, then the less you will do it. This may allow you the benefit of more healthy active productive life years. That will benefit you, the employer, and the general tax payer. Harsh, but research based truth.

Serving for One? Having seen a few commercials in print and on air, regarding certain frozen pizza’s sold in single serving packages, I reviewed one at the grocery store. The calories for this one serving were approximately the same as four slices of pizza hut cheese pizza. How crazy is that? If this is how the food industry plans to regulate itself, we are in trouble. The average person doesn’t know calorie and fat recommendations per meal or per day or per their own body. It is very likely that an average person would choose a product like this and believe that they were doing themselves some good. In fact they may end up eating MORE calories not less.

Fitness Test: Ah, something I like! Well, I should clarify. I did not like the fitness tests that we had to take in school and to hear that this new fitness test was inspired by the adults who miss those tests was a little surprising. None the less, the government is allowing us to test our fitness (children get to take the President’s Challenge and receive a certificate, not so for us!). We can however, see where we rank in fitness compared to others our same age. You do the test on your own and enter the data on line. The items or tests include running or walking (depending on your own baseline), push ups, sit ups and a stretch. You will also be asked to enter your weight and height. I haven’t done it yet, but probably will this weekend. The address is: http://www.adultfitnesstest.org/

Less Weight-Less Rx: Drugs are one of the things we can all spend less money on if we lose that average 20 pounds. Losing weight improves health and thus productivity. It also enables us to exercise more and more vigorously which can enhance our built in disease fighting capability as well as our antioxidant properties. We will age with less loss of function. We do have quite a way to go to make that happen. Research out this week and noted in an article by L. Johnson from AP provides these numbers. Over 50% of Americans who have insurance are taking a prescription medication for a chronic illness (diabetes, hypertension, high LDL) on a regular basis. Some of the more disconcerting points made in the article include that the biggest jump in chronic disease is in the age group that one might expect to be healthiest, 20-44, and worse, one in four children/teens, that is 25% of them, take a prescription medication for chronic disease control. The side effects related to long term use of these meds are far from understood and could be devastating. The physicians interviewed for the article stated that the problem stems from obesity and so, to come full circle, I don’t have a problem with workplace wellness programs that push low calorie foods.

Wishing you wellness