The Oasis

Body Mass Index Doesn't Measure Up

Remember those two recent studies that talked about how just a few pounds can be detrimental to your health? To top it off, those two studies conflicted with one that suggested packing on a few pounds might actually be a good thing!

Confused yet?

Turns out that the reason behind all the confusion is that the studies relied on Body Mass Index, known as BMI, as a measure of obesity. Researchers as well as health care practitioners have long been aware that BMI has its problems and may be way off the mark in some people, particularly body builders and the elderly.

Body builders have more muscle than most of us mortals and therefore have a higher BMI. The high number isn't bad, it just reflects a greater percentage of muscle. The elderly have less muscle, so their scores may be falsely depressed.

So what does all this mean? Turns out that there's a better way to measure whether an individual has excess body fat.

That measure is the waist-to-hip ratio, a measurement that divides the circumference of your waist by your hip measurement. A high waist-to-hip ratio (no more than 0.8 for women, 0.95 for men) more accurately predicts heart attack risk and other obesity-related diseases than BMI.

What this really means is that if your belly is sticking out further than your hips, your heart could be headed for trouble! Fat stored in the abdomen can lead to inflammation in your arteries which can cause clogging.

Tip from your Wellness Coach: To calculate your waist-to-hip ratio, stand in a relaxed position, then measure your waist at it's smallest place (the navel) and then measure your hips at their largest spot (over your buttocks). Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to get your number. (If your belly droops over your belt, then don't cheat by measuring under the protrusion!)

"But Doctor, it's only a few pounds!"

OK, here we go again. Just when you thought that those few pounds you've put on around your middle won't endanger your life, here comes a heads-up to think again.

This time, it's a couple of studies that are soon to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine, one conducted on more than half a million members of the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) and another study by researchers in Korea and Johns Hopkins University who looked at some 1.2 million Koreans.

Both studies give weight, as it were, to the evidence that American baby boomers who are modestly overweight will live shorter lives than their counterparts who are of normal weight.

These two studies refute the claims of a study done last year by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the National Cancer Institute, which suggested that slightly overweight people had a somewhat lower risk of death than those of normal weight!

So what are we supposed to believe?

No single study can give the correct answer, as  study populations differ genetically and environmentally. But...

the score is now 2 to 1 with being even modestly overweight out of favor.  Some experts worry however, that now people who are only a few pounds overweight will become excessive in their concerns with diet.

Tip from your Wellness Coach: Take it easy...talk to your health care provider, stay informed and don't become obsessive. If you are middle aged, take a good look at exactly how many pounds you have put on around your middle since you graduated from high school or college.

Don't fall into the trap that excessive pounds are just a given at a certain age. Make a plan to acheive a healthy weight and put it into action. You'll feel better and who knows, maybe you'll be around a lot longer!

The Power of One

Name one simple thing you can do each day that is guaranteed to bring you more joy and satisfaction in your life. Something that is ridiculously easy and enjoyable to do and that will take no more than five minutes of your time.

Give up?

It's savoring.

Ok, I can hear you asking, "Savoring? What's that? I thought that had something to do with tasting  gourmet food or something like that."

And you're right...to some degree.

Savoring, according to the new rules of Positive Psychology, involves two distinct parts:

1. the awareness of pleasure

2. your attempts to make that awareness last as long as possible.

Sherrie St. Cyr, over at her delightful Stress Management Expert blog, does a great job of explaining just how to accomplish these very things in her article, Two Secrets to Savoring.

Why not take some time right now to go check our Sherrie's article, try out her suggestions and then leave her a comment?

Show Me the Money!

Ok, so we now know that rich people live longer than poor people and in general, enjoy better health. After I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago here at The Oasis, some of my readers suggested that they should give up right now, because they aren't rich and probably never will be!

But now, a new study published in the August 17th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine , suggests that even a modest increase in income for people over 55, even if they aren't rich, can translate into increased health. And a lot more income means even more gains in health status. In medicine, this is called the dose response, which simply means that the more money you make, the healthier you are likely to be.

If you are age 55 and firmly ensconsed in the middle-class, a modest increase in your income can translate into modest, but real health benefits.

So what are you waiting for?

Go ask for that raise right now!

Living Well

Here's an interesting fact. Where you live can have a huge impact on your health.

You may think that this is just common sense. After all, different areas vary widely in such factors as air and water quality, crime rates and so forth.

But it's not just the air or the water in your particular location, but the types of lifestyle choices that location fosters. Of course, the market is responding to this and planned "wellness communities" are springing up all over the U.S.

If you are thinking of a community that has golf courses, spas, gyms, biking and hiking trails, you
would be right. But that's not all.

These new wellness communities are hiring wellness directors, trainers, nutritionists, wellness coaches and other professionals to help create a wellness culture in the community and to assist residents in achieving their wellness goals.

But moving to one of these wellness communities will cost you...plenty.

The Cliffs, a wellness community near Asheville, North Carolina, gets $750,000 for a one bedroom cottage and goes up to $5 million for a 4000 square foot, four bedroom house.

So what if you don't have the bucks, or the inclination to move to a wellness community? How can you improve your living environment so that you are supported in making healthier choices for yourself and for your family?

Here are some suggestions:

1. Set aside a mini-spa day for yourself at home. Be sure to plan for one and a half to two hours when you won't be interrupted. Be creative and formulate your own routine. Put on some relaxing music.
Add your favorite bath salts to a hot tub of water and soak your cares away. Take time to really relax. Slather on a moisturizing lotion after you get out. You get the
idea!

2. Get outside. Explore local nature trails and parks or botanical gardens. Walk barefoot on the grass
of your lawn. Even going to a mall that has a courtyard area with plants and flowing water
can reconnect you to nature.

3. Sign up for a new body class. Make a commitment to explore yoga, Pilates or even a martial art.

4. Join a reading group, or if you like to write, a local writers group. Do something to stimulate
your intellectual and creative side.

5. Take some time each day to quiet your mind,  either by meditation or just listening to beautiful
music.

6. Consider hiring a professional Wellness Coach to help you map out a plan and achieve your goals.

Even if you incorporated all of these suggestions into your life, the cost would be minuscule compared
to moving to a wellness community.

And the benefits will be priceless!

My Bioregion: Late Summer

So...what did you do this summer? Did you get outside and actually enjoy the natural world?

In many parts of the country, the weather was just so hot that it wasn't conducive to anything but sitting in front of the air conditioner with a glass of iced tea. Today, at least in this part of the world, there are subtle signs that summer is coming to an end.

Yes, everything is still green. There is not a single leaf that has begun to turn and the goldenrod is still sending up its slender aromatic stalks, not a mass of yellow blossoms in sight. But gone is any trace of that new tender green that so captivates the senses after winter departs. At dusk, the thrumming of the cicadas is louder than ever. Perhaps they sense their time is short.

Late this afternoon, like many August days in the South, the clouds piled higher and higher. Thunder boomed in the distance and the rain shower slowly moved in, drenching the Earth and dispersing the sweet green fragrance of newly mown grass into the air. At dusk, the sky is still overcast and scatters the light evenly over the green of the backyard, obscuring any contrast. The green lawn melts into the green woods' edge. The tall pines sway in the evening breeze, cooler now, and a few straggler fireflies blink in the understory, their miniature lights conjuring up thoughts of carefree childhood summers. 

Any day now, the goldenrods will pop into bloom, the first few leaves on the sweetgums will change to red. Crows will start to gather in flocks, a "murder" of crows, it's called. Sumac leaves will fade to orange and autumn will slowly overtake us.

Wake up. Be aware of this one moment.

This one moment that bleeds into the next...and the next...and the next.

The moments of our lives.

Baby Fat

Now wait just a minute. What is going on here?

The Oasis has been following all the latest obesity epidemic news, but I just ran across a story that has my head spinning...

the obesity epidemic has spread to babies!

So called "chubby" babies used to be thought of as cute...but not anymore. In a new study, publised online in the journal Obesity, researchers found that the incidence of obesity has risen for all children, and that even includes infants. And just in case you think that fat babies are a problem for poor families who may not get the best nutritional advice, think again. The rates of overweight are increasing in children from mostly middle class families.

So what's going on here?

In another study, researchers found that obese mothers spent less time feeding and interacting with their infants than those of normal weight. These mothers also fed their babies more calorie rich food. This study however, was very small, but the results are provocative and certainly call for more thorough research.

Why should we be so alarmed about a little baby fat?

If a child is obese early in life, that obesity tends to stay with him or her later in life, putting the child at risk for all kinds of health problems. The British Medical Journal reports that there are eight factors that increase a child's chance of being obese by age 7:

1) Having obese parents
2) High birth weight
3) Spending more than eight hours watching TV when 3 years old
4) Sleeping less than 10.5 hours per night when 3 years old
5) Size in early life
6) Rapid weight gain in the first year of life
7) Rapid catch-up growth between birth and 2 years
8) Early development of body fatness during the preschool years (before age 5-6 years, when body fat should be increasing)

Tip from your Wellness Coach: Parents can modify some of these factors by watching their own body weight, making sure their children get adequate sleep, providing proper nutrition and encouraging physical activity for the entire family. Start early  by modeling healthy behavior for your children. If you are not sure if your child is at a healthy weight, consult the child's pediatrician.

PTSD and Your Heart

Almost everyone is familiar with the term PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can effect people who have been though a harrowing event, such as in the aftermath of war or other terrible disaster. With the wars in Irag and now in Lebanon, plus in the aftermath of the tsunami in Indonesia and Katrina off our own Southeastern Gulf coast, there is no lack of candidates for this distressing disorder.

But PTSD isn't limited to people who have been through a war or survived a natural disaster. This month's Havard Health Letter reports that some people who suffer from heart disease are also susceptible. The authors point out that unlike natural disasters and war-related PTSD, for the heart disease patient, the trauma comes from within. The person is constantly on the alert for any sign of an impending heart attack, such as a skipped heart beat, a racing heart or shortness of breath.

The problem is, these symptoms can also be quite normal responses to everyday activities, such as climbing a flight of stairs or drinking too much coffee. Some heart patients who struggle with PTSD try to cope by avoiding anything that will bring on symptoms that they might interpret as a heart attack. So they stop.

They stop climbing stairs. They stop going for walks. They stop engaging in sexual activity...anything that makes their hearts beat faster. Some people will even stop taking the very medications that their cardiologists prescribe to prevent another heart attack...all because the medications remind them of their illness!

The authors of the Harvard Health Letter tell us that there are four questions that are helpful in identifying PTSD after coping with a heart attack:

1) Do you find yourself thinking about the heart attack even when you don't want to think about it?

2) Are you avoiding places, people, situations or other things that remind you of the heart attack?

3) Notice your feelings...are you constantly on alert?

4) Do you feel removed, detached emotionally from your friends and family?

PTSD can be treated...with talk therapy that aims to get a person reconnected and by helping them come to terms with the traumatic event. Some people also benefit from medications.

Tip from your Wellness Coach: If you, or a loved one, has had a heart attack or other form of heart disease and you suspect PTSD, see your physician. Your heart will thank you!