As the song goes: "Its the happiest season of all.....". No, not the dearly departed Christmas and New Year seasons, with all the family belligerence, well disguised animosity, and typical anxiety brought on by too little time or money. I'm talking about the new season of "Biggest Loser" and all of the weight loss commercials, new gym memberships, shipments of soon to be garage sale exercise equipment, and the extreme guilt brought on by too many pounds on too many people. Most of us get over the guilt by at least March or April and continue on our oblivious way, down the road leading directly to the hospital. Most of us baby boomers are even using roller skates to get there quicker. Periodically I briefly assess my own bad habits, knowing each intimately, and refusing to part company with any of them willingly. I recently discovered my BMI, or body mass index, using an online calculator to divide my weight by my height. I have always skirted disaster as a "big boned" kid, but age and other bad habits add a newer sense of urgency to the maxim "If you have your health, you have everything". Though I have never been particular about maintaining a certain diet, counting carbs or calories, my expanding waistline and groaning scale indicate a need for more consideration on this issue. According to my BMI, I should lose about 45 pounds to be safely within that culture of not obese in any way. The current hot topic of whether or not an individual can safely be healthy and hefty at the same time has been one of my favorite discussions, though I profess not to care one way or the other.
It IS a new year, and a new decade. For me at least, its time to get serious.
Please pass the diet whatever-it-is.......
Jon
******GOOD NEWS********
As of last night, NBC news is reporting that BMI is NOT a really accurate method to determine your overall fitness. Tonight, they clarified and stated that the hip/waist ratio is more appropriate. Generally, men should have a ratio of .95 and women less than that. They also stated that male waists should be no rounder than 40 inches. If that's the case, I'm a lot closer to healthy living than I thought. Now if I can just forget how to smoke.
