Sad news in the world of physical achievement.
We lost Angela Madsen on June 23rd, 2020.
It took some time for me to write this. It can be difficult to process the loss of someone you looked up to. Followed their exploits. Cheered for. Maybe because we are close in age. Definitely because I consider her one of the all-time great athletes.
Angela Madsen has to be considered an Athletes Athlete. Most athletes train and compete in one event, one sport, and are gratified to become proficient in just one sport. Angela Madsen competed, and became a Champion, in so many endeavors, even listing a small portion of her achievements can be overwhelming.
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Marine.
Basketball player.
Paraplegic since back injury surgery.
World Record in the Shot Put.
Competed in Javelin Throw.
Achieved 14 Guinness World Record Titles.
World Champion rower.
Successfully rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. Read that line again.
Successfully rowed across the Atlantic Ocean.
Successfully rowed across the Indian Ocean.
Successfully rowed across 1,300 miles of the Pacific Ocean. At 60 years of age.
During the Pacific Ocean row, Angela was alone. Except for the loved ones she carried in her heart, and the hopes of multitudes of admirers, such as myself.
She died during that Pacific Ocean row after blessing our planet with her presence for those 60 years.
Angela mentored so many and inspired all.
She is one of the people I think about if a workout starts to drag.
I still will. Achievements outlive our mortal bodies.
Rest in peace, Angela.
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CVS Pharmacy Really is in the Health Business
It's been a while since we lauded the fine folks at CVS Pharmacy for demonstrating they are in the business of Health...your health. It was way back in 2014 that they stopped selling cigarettes at their stores.
Now, they have taken another amazing step that should confirm CVS Pharmacy as a leader in our nation's Health.. CVS has implemented a 'Tested to Be Trusted' initiative, which requires all vitamins and supplements they sell to be tested by an independent third party facility. According to the CVS website, they want you to be able to read the Supplement Facts label on the container so "You'll know that what the label says is what you get." They further state:
"The vitamin or supplement needs to contain all of the dietary ingredients and the amount per serving listed in the center of the Supplement Facts panel." They show an example outlined in green with a check mark. They also check for specific harmful contaminants.
Visit the fine folks at the CVS Pharmacy at www.cvs.com, and type Tested to Be Trusted in the search bar for more information.
Amazing. Someone who cares about our health taking a big first step.
Now if only someone would test your vitamins and supplements to insure that all the claims, all the promises they tout are actually true. After all, isn't that what you are paying for?
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LOSE A LITTLE & GAIN A LOT
It's a given that losing Excess Body Fat will change how you look and feel. But it's important to keep in mind that the primary reason for losing Excess Body Fat is that Excess Body Fat raises your risk factors for many diseases.
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I have long believed in taking small steps along the path to losing Excess Body Fat. This goes against what the "LOSE 15 POUNDS IN 15 DAYS!!!" diet industry throws in our faces. But it's true. Small steps are the building blocks to big, long lasting successes. A study of women's health led by Dr. Rowan Chlebowski of the renowned City of Hope National Medical Center gives hope for these small steps.
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The women in the study were our age, postmenopausal. Yes, I know I'm a guy, but I'm definitely in the postmenopausal age group. Actually, I'm closer to the post-post-postmenopausal age group.
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The study indicated that losing "weight" lowered the risk of breast cancer. Wonderful. But the study results also indicated that breast cancer risk was reduced even with a "weight" loss of only 5%. Amazing.
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5%! At 200 pounds of scale "weight", 5% is 10 pounds. That's a reasonable goal for such an important health gain. 5%!
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Losing 20, 30, 40 pounds of Excess Body Fat is very commendable,
but keep in mind, losing just 5% of Excess Body Fat can be life changing!
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You Can Do Whatever You Want to Do!
Peggy Whitson, NASA astronaut, just completed her 8th spacewalk on 03/30/17. That's right, Peggy opened the hatch, and climbed out of the International Space Station (ISS), which was floating 250 miles above the earth's surface. Wow. Her mission was to attach a large piece of protective shelding to the ISS. She has over 50 hours spacewalking, and over 500 total hours in space. Click on the link to the incredible NASA site with lots of amazing photos and information: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/iss050e028908.jpgDid I mention Dr. Whitson has enjoyed 57 birthdays? I hope you're not surprised. Calendar age means nothing to your desire to succeed!
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| When Astronaut Peggy Whitson goes out for a walk, she is 250 miles up in space and moving at 17,244 miles per hour! Now surely you can take a little walk around the block. Photo belongs to NASA. Visit them at www.NASA.gov. |
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Get More Active & Reduce Your Cancer Risk
You may be like a lot of people who get physically active to lose Excess Body Fat. An admirable idea. But being physically active helps us in many other ways, including reducing the risk for 13 types of cancer, according to a study by Steven C. Moore, PhD, MPH, I-Min Lee, MBSS,ScD, Elisabete Weiderpass, PhD, and others, and reported in JAMA Internal Medicine. This held true for obese people and non-obese people as well.
Help yourself and your family fight the scourge of cancer. You lead the effort. Grab your kids, your spouse, load the grandkids in the stroller, everyone get up and go!
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The We Can!™ Program - A Great Way for Families to Get Healthy and Fit.
The National Institutes of Health has developed a really nice Program to help families help their children and grandchildren stay healthy thru good eating habits and increased physical activity. We Can!™ is the catchy acronym for Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition. The website is a great source for kids, communities, and schools. I am a firm believer in families playing sports together.
From informal games to just tossing a ball around, playing sports together is a great way to get in some movement, build cardio fitness and strengthen muscles. Nothing fancy. Forget organized. Fifteen minutes of physical play before dinner. You won't want to come in. Forget that spellbinding TV reality show. A healthier, trimmer body can be your reality. I have seen people get in better shape just trying to keep up with their kids and grandkids! Chase your grandkids around the yard or park. There is absolutely no way to keep from laughing, actually giggling, chasing a little one around. If they are older, baseball, volleyball, basketball, on and on, can be all enjoyed at some level. You don't have to work up a sweat, just work on the fun. And there is no reason your adult children can't join you for some outdoor activity. I've always wondered why family physical activities seem to stop when the kids reach their teen years. At most, we go to watch them play sports. If you enjoy that, you'll love playing their sports with them yourself. I love to see families playing basketball, baseball, volleyball together.
Hey folks, get off your lawn chair and play with your kids! Your heart will thank you. Your leaner body will thank you. And years from now, your kids and grandkids will thank you for the fun.
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GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS WARNING
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Urinary Incontinence Decreases with Weight Loss in Women
Urinary Incontinence can be very frustrating, especially when you have so much to do and so little time to do it. There is good news for women who suffer from this ailment. A study out of the University of California, San Francisco, led by researcher Leslee L. Subak, M.D. took overweight women aged 42 to 64 with a history of urinary incontinence. The women followed a program that included changes in eating, and exercise. Those who lost weight experienced a reduction in incidences of urinary incontinence.
I would like to see a follow-up study to try to determine if the weight loss itself, or an increase in lean muscle strength from the exercise program was the greater determinant in these findings.
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