As a Basic Life Support (CPR for Healthcare Professionals), I was a bit embarrassed. At least, internally.
One of the things you probably remember from your CPR class is that the survival rate for cardiac arrest is poor. Like 5%. Just so that we’re clear, this means that you have a 5% chance of surviving if your heart stops beating. The reasons for this abound, and range from people not knowing CPR, to there being no AED’s nearby, to the fact that, eventually, all of our warranty’s will eventually lapse, and the fat lady begins her song. I maintain that, with this knowledge, the best way to survive a cardiac arrest is to not experience one. Easier said than done? Maybe not.
There are some risk factors that we cannot control. Specifically, our heredity. If every male member of my family has had a heart attack by the age of 50, then I’ve got two strikes against me. Some will argue that smoking is out of their control. I tend to disagree, but that is a conversation for another day.
However, there are things we CAN control. Despite what you hear in the media, you are in complete control of what you put into your body, and what you take out of it. By “putting in”, I mean food, beverage, vitamins, medication, drugs, and so on. By “taking out”, I mean what you ask of your body. yes, that means exercise.
Here’s the embarrassing part: I was a huge hypocrite. I would discuss about how it was heart healthy to eat better, exercise, etc, but I was pouring on the fast food. Pouring in the dessert. And while most of my friends and colleagues were kind enough to say (to my face) that I didn’t need to lose weight, I knew better.
Not that I even considered myself to be obese, but I always knew I could lose a few pounds and be better for it. yet, there I sat, with my dish of ice cream, watching the treadmill gather dust. A friend of mine, who had started (and done well) with a weight loss and detox program said, “It just doesn’t mean enough to you yet to do something different.
On December 27th, my hypocrisy ended. When I got up, I saw a number on the scale that I had never seen before. I ejected the scale out the window, and as my family left from their holiday visit, I went to the website of the program I was going to join. My wife shuddered, but, begrudgingly, joined, as well, to lend support.
It has been more than a New Years Resolution (I started before New Years, and before we went on a Cruise intentionally, so it could not be seen as that, both by myself and by others. It has involved a change in, well, everything. I’m heavy on fiber and fruits on veggies. Light on the fast food, light on the carbs, and I exercise at least 4 days of week for 45 to 60 minutes. I work hard to keep my metabolism high, and have found that I really don’t miss many other things. I can still splurge, I can still go out, and by being smart for most of the week, I can be sloppy a few days here and there.
Today, not yet three months in, I have dropped 24 pounds, according to the scale. Clothes are fitting better. I’m liking the look in the mirror better. People are saying things. My cholesterol is down (although my doc wants it a bit lower, but I’d like to avoid the statins if at all possible). Decorum prevents me from guessing, stating, analyzing or otherwise commenting on my wife’s progress…but she’s happy.
My point is this: There are a lot of programs out there. Some are fads, but most have a pretty reasonable basis in scientific fact. The program I am on is very simple (if you’re curious, email me, I’ll tell you, but I don’t find it appropriate to publish names). I just have to keep track of a few things, and, generally, be healthier. I leave the mayo and cheese off my sandwiches now, drink a lot more water, and exercise a lot more than I did.
Read the news. You really don’t need congress to pass a new law requiring McDonalds or Starbucks to post how fattening things are. Be smart. Take accountability for your body. I’m not trying to make a statement on policy, but if we were a healthier, more accountable society, that, alone, would reduce the cost of healthcare. Yes, I still hit the drive through from time to time, and yes, I can reward myself with fries sometimes.
If you want to improve your odds, change what you do. Don’t let it take a cardiac event, or an illness for you to realize that you should probably do things differently. Get off the couch, put down the cookies and the remote, and do something different.
At least I can say there is one less hypocrite in this world.
