Your Numbers - Your Risks

   Before we move on to another topic, I want to assure myself that the information I shared with you yesterday made some kind of impact.

from the American Heart Association website

   Did you view any food labels today?  Were the trans fat grams high or low?  If they were not 0 to 0.5  then they were high.
   Do you have any existing health condition that makes avoiding trans fat especially important?  (heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes)
   Is there any reason to avoid trans fats if you do not have those conditions?  YES.  Do normal weight people need to avoid trans fats? YES.  Do people who exercise every day? YES.
   Not sure what I am talking about?  Maybe you missed yesterday's post. You can review it here.



 

Reflection

I don't plan to write much for tonight. It is the end of a year with celebrations of thankfulness, expectation and good riddance - my best to all of you.

I am excited that at least two health promotion related statutes or laws come into effect tomorrow. One is the ban of trans fats in foods sold in California restaurants - cool because there is NO level of TFA that the body needs and because any amount could be harmful. Which is EXACTLY the same thing I say about tobacco smoke. There is no safe level and any amount can harm you. Evidence will tell you that both are bad, but tobacco is far worse. Which makes the second statute even more important. Important, and damn near jaw dropping because it is in one of the tobacco states, North Carolina. A statewide indoor smoking ban goes into effect tomorrow..... incredible.

What I really want to focus on though is where you have been and where you are going in your quest for optimal health. I, myself, usually journal about this on New Years Eve or Day or both - even if I don't journal any other day of the year. I am holding out for tomorrow this time, so I have something to do on the plane!

I have a form that you can use for this reflection as part of the Hold the Stuffing challenge my coworkers are completing this week. Here is the link so that you can open and print the form for your own reflection and forward thinking statements!

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B1pUruYXPyXJODEyZWE0NjktZjVlYS00YjM2LTgzNWItNDRmYjQ5MTVhZjE2&hl=en

And yes, I do have goals for 2010 - not in any particular order and certainly not ONLY these but I am thinking:

• learn to play tennis
• maybe racket ball too
• run a second marathon
• eat more during the day and less at night
• plastic surgery???
• education
• romance

sigh........ I am tired just thinking about it all

Now - the New Year festivities await............