Then, the worst-case scenario occurs. Instead of a nurse arriving to escort you into the operating room, you receive a visit from the anesthesiologist who is there to inform you that your surgery has just been cancelled. You’re shocked and your immediate thoughts wander naturally through various possible snags. Is there a problem with the surgeon? The attending staff? Some type of equipment failure?  Maybe a sudden emergency situation that’s taken priority over your scheduled procedure?

Truth is, it’s none of the above. The unhappy expression found on the faces of your doctor, his surgical team, and the surrounding hospital staff, aren’t due to anything within the realm of their control. Rather, yours. What was once an isolated event has grown into a burgeoning problem in hospitals and medical clinics across the country. In more ways than one, a patient’s weight (excessive weight, that is) is causing more surgeries to be cancelled last minute because of the potential (and frequently life-threatening) risk to the patient.

Used to be when you heard the news that you’d need to undergo a surgical procedure, a patient would necessarily consider the who, what, where, when and how’s. Today though, it isn’t the physician, nor is it an insurance company, or even the technology that’s standing in the way of some surgeries. The question being asked nowadays is a weight-related one. It is troubling that for a growing number of patients the most problematic obstacle to getting better rests solely on their shoulders (and on the rest of their body). Unfortunately, it is their own excess weight that’s holding these overweight men, women, and children hostage from overall good health and even more criminally, from receiving urgent medical care of the direst lifesaving sort.

There are some individuals who naively voice minimizing this issue of epidemic proportions [Two thirds of Americans are now either overweight (defined as a body-mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher) or obese (A 30-plus BMI)], stating that it doesn’t affect them personally. These particular obese persons believe they can be simultaneously both overweight and healthy. However, no one can convincingly argue that if sudden urgent medical care is required that the obese are on a level playing field concerning surgical risks as their normal-weighted counterparts and the statistics prove it.

The fact is, none of us can anticipate when an emergency medical situation will occur requiring immediate surgery. Nobody plans on getting into an auto accident or injured on the job, but it happens every day, in every city across our nation. And in comparatively similar fashion, a frightening number of patient casualties occur when medical professionals are forced to refuse treatment to people because the risk is simply too great pre-operatively, during surgery, and post-operatively.

If you are now numbered among the two-thirds of Americans who are overweight, you’ll want to pay particular attention to the conversation you have with your doctor before scheduling surgery of any kind.  As you sit in front of your physician and he informs you that you’ll need to undergo a surgical procedure consider closely what he’s telling you as well as what he isn’t. Your surgeon will explain that because of your excess weight you are at an increased risk for anesthesia complications, blood clots, wound problems and your rehabilitation experience will likely be more difficult and longer in duration than normal-weight persons. If you’re having a joint replacement surgery, you can almost count on the appliance wearing out prematurely as well (anyone seeing a follow-up surgery in their future?).

As if these warnings weren’t tough enough to swallow, take this solemn conversation a step further and inside the real mind workings of your doctor. What he may not tell you because it’s so discouraging to him as the medical professional whose job it is to heal you (and as the primary directive from which he operates both literally and figuratively); is what he’s seen transpire in case after case in previous obese patients under his care. As your physician is speaking, remember he’s also running a mental dialogue though his mind of how your surgery (as an obese patient) will differ from a normal-weighted patient. He, as the operating surgeon, knows the difference and you, as the patient, should too because this difference is huge.

From your surgeon’s perspective, he has no choice but to accept the additional risks and challenges of operating on someone whose very weight makes it exponentially harder to perform his job (fixing you) from a purely technical standpoint. Doctors report that they frequently encounter morbidly obese people telling them, they (the patients), are willing to accept the increased risk for complication without a thought for the difficulty that their surgeons will encounter during the procedure as well as what this increased risk for complication means to the physician as the responsible party. There appears to be a mistaken assumption among some obese patients that their weight is not a factor that might affect their surgeon’s ability to perform the intricacies required during any medical procedure. Similarly, some other patients falsely believe that their surgery can be executed with the same ease as a patient of normal weight.

Patients must also understand that weight-related health risks are alive and well even before an individual enters the operating room doors. Excess weight puts a patient at a disadvantage even before surgery is scheduled as extra fat can render some clinical tests ineffective at detecting potential and existing health problems. Amy Parham, weight loss participant on The Bigger Loser television show, remembers her wake-up call after viewing her Dexa Scan for the first time. She recognized at that moment how her extra pounds were punishing her organs and lungs hour by hour, day after day. “It was eye opening to see that the fat was not something that was not only keeping me from buttoning my smaller pants, but it was also shoving my organs around and prohibiting them from working properly. Even my lungs were so compressed I couldn’t breath well.” Parham realized that as much as she hated how fat looks on the outside, “It is the fat that we don’t see, (on the inside) that is killing us.”

Beyond the above risk complications already cited, your doctor knows that your surgical outcome may not be what you’re expecting because even with the most skilled surgeon working on your behalf, your excess weight will continue to hinder mobility and range of motion post-operatively. No matter what side of the surgery table you’re on, both doctor and patient enter the situation at a disadvantage because both are fighting to overcome weighty odds of the most costly kind. Obesity isn’t a lifestyle gamble worth playing with; it’s a risky venture whose stakes will continue to rise to life and death proportions with every pound gained. A life and death risk Parham came to understand, “I believe that many times vanity is the motivation for wanting to lose weight, but people need to wake up and realize that they are playing Russian roulette with their lives by the choices they make. I was slowly killing myself and didn’t even know it.”

The Facts on Fat and Surgical Risks -

• Obese patients suffer from more postoperative infection, thrombosis (formation of blood clots), and other circulatory organ complications.
• Overweight individuals are at a greater risk postoperatively for heart attacks (5 times higher), wound infection (1.7 times higher,) peripheral nerve injury (4 times higher), and urinary tract infections (1.5 times higher), than their non-obese counterparts. [WebMD]
• Compared to normal weight persons undergoing surgery, obese and morbidly obese patients require roughly double the dosage of intravenous antibiotics during surgery.
• There is generally an increased length of stay in the hospital after surgery, which also adds to a patient’s financial costs.

Reasons to Lose the Excess Before You Need to -

• Surgeons use smaller incisions, thus less bleeding from the operative wound in lighter patients than obese ones.
• Potential problems with anesthesia are minimized because a lesser amount is required during surgery for smaller weighted individuals.
• Postoperative rehabilitation is shorter and easier on thinner patients.
• Joint replacement hardware such as knees and hips last longer on patients of normal weight.

Copyright 2010 Michele Howe

Please join me in thanking our Catholic Moments contributors by visiting their sites:  Deacon Tom Fox, Lisa Mladnich, Avery, Sarah Reinhard.

This episode of Catholic Moments is sponsored by CatholicMatch.com, the Leading Catholic Singles Community.  Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this Episode:

• Your Whole Life: The 3D Plan for Eating Right, Living Well, and Loving God
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I have added a spiritual aspect to the move to encourage you to strengthen your faith as you strengthen your body.  The suggested  prayers help you to set goals as well.

Moms with babies will enjoy the “baby kissing squat” modification.  It’s important to be a fitness role model for our children.  If your children see Mom exercise on a regular basis (while enjoying it!) then they will be likely to do the same in the future.  Older children can join you in these Spiritual Squats, but they should use body weight only.  Teens who have had some type of strength training can work up to the weighted variations.

Spiritual Squats can be done up to three times weekly, but allow at least one day of rest and recovery between sessions.

As with any exercise, start slowly and don’t try to do too much too soon.  If you are pregnant, post-partum, or recovering from an injury, please consult your doctor before attempting this exercise.

Copyright 2010 Peggy Bowes

Why does fear strike these people so strongly? Because they know that it is quite common for individuals to gain 5 to 7 pounds during the holidays. And, if you already need to lose some weight, then the thought of doing the opposite for the next two months (gaining weight!) is terrifying.

So, you’ll start to see every magazine cover spouting a headline on how to “maintain your weight” during the traditional holiday season. Well, maintaining is certainly better than gaining. But, if you are someone that already needs to lose weight, well, maintaining really doesn’t get you where you need to be. It just postpones your important goals by at least a couple of months.

So, why not consider starting a diet during the holidays rather than after them. Wait! Don’t dismiss it without reviewing the compelling arguments in favor of this idea.

1.      Use the motivation you have today to start reaching your goals immediately. There’s no guarantee that come January your motivation will be as strong.

2.      You won’t get caught in the crazy New Year Resolution hype. You won’t need a resolution because you’ll already be on your way to reaching your goals. The vast majority of resolutions are broken, so why be a part of that train.

3.      In the few weeks that represent the holidays, you could lose as much as 16 pounds considering that a healthy weight loss is about 2 pounds per week. Imagine starting the new year 16 pounds LIGHTER!

4.      Don’t set yourself up for failure. Waiting until the new year may erroneously give you “permission” to blow your diet during the holidays. Thinking that you might as well indulge in one last big blowout before restricting yourself come January may result in even more pounds for you to lose. Who needs that?

5.      If you are truly, truly serious about getting more fit, then right now is the perfect time to begin your journey. Be faithful to yourself – don’t put off the inevitable until January.

6.      Experts claim it takes around four week to establish a new habit. If you start your fitness plan in November, then you could have healthy habits in place before the holiday season even ends. What a great way to keep your holiday season healthy and have a jump start on the new year. Consequently, if you wait to start your new behaviors until January, then it will be February before you can expect to have a habit formed.

Copyright 2010 Lynn Bode

Here’s some background on these lovely women, and a bit of their history:

Our mission is simple:    Strengthen your Body, Strengthen your Soul.

We are three moms who love walking for exercise.  In 2009 we decided to train for the Columbus Half Marathon.  Our team walks took place on Saturday mornings and we often talked about how wonderful it was to take time for ourselves.  Each week we prayed a rosary together and as our devotion to the Blessed Mother grew our hearts became filled with peace and we felt a closer connection to our Lord.  We began to fully appreciate and understand the phrase “To Jesus through Mary”.  With increased endurance and enriched faith we completed the Columbus Half Marathon and called ourselves “Mamas Movin’ With Mary”.

It is now our goal to inspire others to take time for themselves and “Get Movin’ With Mary”.

Clearly, the Mamas are about more than just selling t-shirts.  They promote Marian devotion with instructions on how to pray the Rosary, provide fitness support and information, and a forum for sharing your story.  All this is wonderful, plus their shirt is now my favorite article of workout attire. The sight of it puts a smile on my face, and wearing it affords me opportunities to share the good news with people who see me and comment on my shirt.  It’s happened several times already, as I make it a point of wearing my “Mamas” shirt when I’m working out in various places during my travels.

LISTEN: A conversion to an NFP way of life starts with a conversation and, as the old adage says, “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” When a co-worker complains about his wife’s frequent mood swings and other irritating PMS symptoms, or when a friend shares her frustrations with the side effects of her birth control, or even when a family member or neighbor announces the date for their upcoming permanent sterility procedure; listen. Say a quick prayer asking the Holy Spirit to help you listen with patience and seek to first understand. When an acquaintance casually inquires about your personal plans for future children or even when a stranger uses your children to show off their counting skills; listen.

OFFER: After listening, offer a story or experience that relates to them and their current situation. If you know someone who found a solution to their mood swings and other PMS symptoms by learning NFP, offer that to them. Offer your knowledge of how NFP is both effective and has no side effects. If time allows, offer information about the harmful long-term effects of unnecessary vasectomies, tubal ligations and hysterectomies. And to those random inquisitions and sometimes rude comments about the current and future size of your family, smile and remember the wise words of St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach constantly and if necessary, use words”.

VALIDATE: When sharing NFP, it’s important to validate a person’s concerns and consider his or her current understanding and perspective on the subject. It can be shocking at first when people share their personal and private thoughts and feelings on the topic of reproduction and family planning. But a genuine interest and desire for something better usually lurks underneath the surface. Hear them out and acknowledge their honest feelings and desires without condoning the immoral use of conventional birth control and sterility methods. In the Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith reminds Christians that, “The witness of the truth does not seek to impose anything by force, neither by coercive action nor by tactics incompatible with the Gospel.”

ENCOURAGE: After listening and sharing your story and after affirming their unique situation and concerns, give them hope for something better by sharing how they too can learn about Natural Family Planning. Share an informational brochure or book, send them the website, phone number or address of the local Natural Family Planning office, or even invite them to an upcoming introductory class. By taking the time to suggest a solution and share information, you will fill them with the hope and confidence they need to choose Natural Family Planning and to invite God and his life-giving love into their marriage and lives.



Copyright 2010 Erika Marie

Editor’s Note:  I am thrilled to share the good news that my friend Peggy Bowes, author of

, will be joining our CatholicMom.com family of contributors!  I know you’ll enjoy reading Peggy’s faith-filled takes on fitness and spirituality.  Welcome to the family Peggy!  Lisa

The Benefits of Combining Prayer and Exercise

I am thrilled and honored that Lisa has invited me to share my passion for fitness and health through a regular column here on CatholicMom.com.  I’ve been in the fitness industry for over 15 years, and I look forward to helping readers overcome obstacles and challenges to exercise and good health.

As a devout Catholic, I like to incorporate the power of prayer and a spiritual perspective into my fitness advice.  In this light, I’ve decided to use the title “Fitness, Faith and Family” for this column.  In the months ahead, I will explore health, fitness and exercise topics that are relevant to Catholic moms.  I want this column to be interactive, so please feel free to add comments and suggestions!

The first topic I’d like to cover is the combination of prayer and exercise.  As Catholics, we understand the importance of prayer, but why do we need to exercise?  Of course we’ve all heard that rhythmic exercise such as walking, running or biking relieves stress, improves restful sleep, prevents disease and gives a boost of energy.  What you don’t often hear are the benefits of exercise for mental health.  It can create an almost euphoric feeling of well-being along with clearer thought and a heightened awareness.  This sharpness and clarity of mind can be directed toward meditative prayer with a little practice.

I wrote a book called The Rosary Workout based on this concept, and I can testify that the combination of prayer and exercise is very powerful.  Let me give you an example to help you understand.

This morning, I was feeling stressed and overwhelmed by the ever-growing list of tasks that I needed to accomplish.  I really had no time to exercise, but experience has taught me that if I make time, then my day will go so much better.  I laced up my running shoes and headed for my favorite trail.  As I ran, I felt my many burdens gradually slip from my shoulders.   I began to pray the Rosary and meditated on the Joyful Mysteries.  My soul rejoiced with Mary as she led me through the events of her Divine Son’s youth.  I walked back home, refreshed and eager to tackle my list.

You don’t have to be a runner or an athlete to enjoy the benefits of combining prayer and exercise.  I usually pray the Rosary during my workouts, but any type of prayer or meditation can be incorporated into a fitness routine.  For example, try praying the Angelus while you walk during your lunch break at work or after dropping off the kids at the bus stop.  This brief but powerful prayer is easy to memorize and reminds us that Mary’s fiat (“yes”) brought the Savior into the world, changing it forever.  At the same time, a short brisk walk aids digestion and clears the mind for the tasks ahead.

Another idea is to contemplate the Beatitudes as you wash the minivan, work in the garden or vacuum the carpets.  House and yard work can serve as exercise if done vigorously for 15-20 minutes, or longer if possible.  Before you start working, read Chapter 5 of Matthew’s gospel and reflect on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as you perform those mundane chores that ultimately bless your family.

If you enjoy exercising in a gym, you can still incorporate prayer and exercise.  Download an audio version of the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Litany of the Sacred Heart or another prayer onto your MP3 player or smart phone.  Plug in the headphones, and find your favorite cardio or weight machine.  You’ll lift your heart to heaven at the same time you strengthen it through exercise.

Need a little more motivation?  You may find it in “A Prayer to Become Fit in Faith.”  This beautiful and inspiring prayer was written by my friend, Dr. Kevin Vost, author of Fit For Eternal Life:

A Prayer to Become Fit in Faith

Oh Generous God,

You have given us minds and bodies in your glorious image.

Grant to us the Courage

To train our muscles to show their true strength

And to train our hearts and lungs,

So that we may endure in helping others.

Help us build our Self-Control

So that we may seek to eat and enjoy what we need to sustain us,

Losing all desire for the excess that weighs us down in body and spirit.

Guide us towards Justice

So that we will devote to ourselves the time to grow fit

Without depriving our loved ones of the time that we owe them.

Help us grow in Wisdom

So that we will pursue sensible methods of bringing out the best in  ourselves,

And making our bodies Temples of Your Spirit.

Plant deep within us Faith, Hope, and Charity

So that people will know we our Christians by our loving actions

And so, that by growing fit in faith,

We may spur hope in our families and in our neighbors too,

So that they may share in the robust spiritual and physical fitness

That You would have us enjoy.

Amen



Copyright 2010 Peggy Bowes

I have found that help. It’s called The Rosary Workout, by Peggy Bowes.

When I first read it, it was but an e-book, but now Peggy has a hard copy book too, and it’s perfect if you share my ailment known as Exercise Procrastination.

“I did not want my exercise program to be yet another entry on the crowded list of quick-fix, instant-result workout plans,” Peggy shares. “Instead, I decided to create a plan that would help a person improve both physically and spiritually.  This is not a multi-tasking prayer-and-exercise plan, but rather an integrated approach to taking care of the body and soul together.”

There are five parts, and I’ve included links to sample pages (which open as PDF documents):

* Part I – a summary of the Rosary, its history, the significance of Rosary prayers, and its power as an intercessory prayer. See a sample page.

* Part II – an introduction to the concept of the Rosary as the School of Mary and the importance of Mary’s role as advocate and teacher, the Nine Choirs of Angels and their significance in Rosary prayer. See a sample page.

* Part III – an explanation of the scientific principles of exercise that are the foundation for the workouts and great information on nutrition and hydration. See a sample page.

* Part IV – the preparation to begin the workouts, including suggestions on how to start and commit to The Rosary Workout™ and how to handle setbacks. See a sample page.

* Part V – the workouts, divided into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels, with graphics to explain the workout instructions. See a sample Intermediate Level workout.

My problem in the past has been a combination of time and motivation. I think I’ve found motivation in a way I never looked for it before: through my favorite prayer (though, admittedly, the hardest one I have to pray).  I love that Peggy encourages readers to keep a journal that includes not only details about each workout, but also details about spiritual things.  Did you go to Confession?  Have you been struggling?  Do you have a special intention?

Tying my physical and spiritual health together in such a tangible way feels right in a way that excites me, that makes me, for once, WANT to work out.

Would you like a copy of The Rosary Workout? Well, sure you would, but we have something even better…Peggy has generously offered to design a personal workout and 4-week healthy eating plan in addition to donating a book.

To enter, share your biggest exercise challenge before next Friday, July 2, 2010. We will share the plan, along with some general notes about the case (identifying and intimate details will be removed) in a future column here at CatholicMom.com.



Copyright 2010 Sarah Reinhard

Recently, I’ve become aware of many people expressing concern about the spirituality behind the practice of yoga and questioning whether it is in conflict with Christian or Catholic teachings. For me, yoga has never been a spiritual lesson in the sense the creators might have intended or the detractors allege. It has been a journey; a challenge in a physical, personal and spiritual way.

When I started, I had no idea it would be this physically difficult. But, with that difficulty, has come amazing progress. I have found a strength, both inner and physical, that I never knew I possessed. I’ve found a willingness to meet that pain head on and keep going, with mostly minimal grumbling.

Yoga, to me, is like life. Challenges may seem difficult or even impossible, but with guidance, perseverance, inner strength and faith, anything is possible. Practicing yoga brings me a sense of calm, quiet, focus and inner peace, in addition to the positive physical effects.
It challenges me to try new adventures and pay close attention to my body and how God made me. It helps me realize that hard work and dedication pay off and yield wonderful results. I am continuously amazed at this body that God created and what he has enabled me to accomplish with it. Of course, there are lots of moments when I simply laugh out loud after twisting up and falling over. But, I try again and sooner or later I make progress toward that strange twisty pose, or being able to stand on my head.

There have been many times during breathing exercises or while holding a difficult pose, I have found myself looking to prayer or offering praise. This conflict in the Christian community over yoga has taken me completely by surprise because for me, yoga feels like a celebration of God’s creation.



Copyright 2010 Lisa Jones

Why I Love Exercising with the Wii

In the last article, I discussed how God has written into Creation some “rules” for good health.  Today we’re talking about our perspective on eating.

What is God’s Plan for our Health?

When you read Genesis, “the beginning”, it’s pretty clear that our lives now are little like God’s original intent for humanity’s existence. We were vegetarians (Gen. 1:29), without bodily shame, without toil of labor to grow our food (Gen. 3:17), and with very few restrictions other than “don’t eat the apple.” With that first sinful bite of food, Adam and Eve sent humanity into a tailspin of improper eating and resulting consequences throughout history.

Much of our health is based on what we eat (probably a bit on sleep, too, but don’t tell my body that). The brain and the gut talk to one another, the status of each affecting the other. Some say we have a second brain in our guts. Hard to believe? Consider stress-induced “butterflies” and how poor nutrition, especially lots of sugar, can impact mental acuity and cause hyperactivity. Studying God’s plan for our health comes back around to what we eat.

Can eating be a spiritual endeavor? Consider:

• The first temptation, although that of pride, used food as a vehicle to accomplish the first sin.
• Food is immediately in the spotlight again when Cain and Abel bring tithes to the Lord of different qualities.
• God’s mercy is demonstrated through the miraculous manna and quail in the dessert. The people are fed, but they don’t even realize that they still need to be fed (spiritually).
• Christ often ate with his followers, regularly sharing key teachings with them over a meal, including the Last Supper and the giving of His Body and Blood.
• After the Resurrection, Christ revealed Himself to His friends a number of times over a meal: in Emmaus, when He first appeared in the Upper Room (He asked to eat), and when He cooked fish for Peter, John and the others on the seashore.
• The early Christians met for the “breaking of the bread” in their homes.

The Many Sides of Eating

Eating is also not something that humans do in isolation, neither physically nor figuratively. Eating is an important form of community, and some theorize that it is just that, the community aspect of meal time, that makes eaters either healthy or unhealthy.

Folks in the scientific world have dubbed the superior health of the French people, in spite of their diet heavy in saturated fat and white flour, the “French paradox”. There are as many theories about the answer to that paradox as there are people trying to figure it out, but one possibility is that the French eat slowly, with friends and family, and not to excess. The French do not say, “I am full,” but rather, “I have no more hunger.” When we Americans are expected to eat until we are full, perhaps we’re destining ourselves to obesity!

Eating is an input/output system in more ways than one. Not only is our health dependent on appropriate food input and effective output, but the very act of eating food has such an impact on our community and environmental health. Like a stone tossed into a still pond, each action we choose has an effect on everyone around us, even people we’ll never know. The plastic bottle I drink from today may impact my fertility 10 years from now and Susie Q’s cancer rate 100 years from now.

How do you view your faith and your food?  Are they connected?

In the last of this three-part series, I’ll discuss animal and soil health, the high cost of cheap food, and medication.

Copyright 2010 Katie Kimball

Pointing to the nearly one-third of U.S. children who are either obese or overweight, the administration will pursue a legislative agenda to support its efforts, expanding the federal school-lunch program by $10 billion over 10 years and spending $400 million to bring grocery stores to so-called food deserts, urban and rural areas without adequate food stores.

So I guess this means we’ll now own the corner groceries, right next to our federally owned and operated car dealerships.

Mrs. Obama comes at the issue as a mother. In interviews, she says her pediatrician pulled her aside and encouraged her to improve her family’s health status by initiating portion control, eliminating high-calorie convenience foods and sugary drinks, and getting her daughters moving with more exercise and less TV time.

She listened to her children’s doctor, and her daughters are healthier for it.

Now, the Obamas have committed themselves to eliminating not only the possibility that their daughters might be overweight, but also the entire nation’s childhood obesity health crisis, in the span of one generation.

No one can argue that this would be a good thing, as obesity is almost entirely preventable and contributes to some of the costliest maladies burdening our health care system.

Yet at the same time, Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative was announced, researchers at Ohio State University released a study that shows three factors most effectively reduce the risk of childhood obesity: eating family meals together several times per week, getting adequate sleep and limiting TV time.

Notably, these highly effective, risk-reducing solutions aren’t likely to be influenced by a multibillion-dollar federal government “investment.” In fact, they rely on exactly the tactics Mrs. Obama used — greater parental supervision and more healthful decision-making for one’s own children.

Good intentions aside, a presidential task force isn’t going to do what millions of American parents already don’t do — namely, pull the plug on the 68 percent of kids with televisions in their bedrooms, or on the average 53 hours per week that “Generations M’s” (8-to-18-year-olds) spend engaged with electronic media.

Nor will the task force change the way most families eat. For decades, our federal government already has offered far-reaching programs for nutrition promotion, food subsidies and disease prevention, and as Mrs. Obama points out, these problems are not going away.

On the other hand, we now have an abundance of government Web sites representing the growing nanny state for personal lifestyle support.

It’s worth a tour of the “.gov” cybersphere to see just how involved our federal bureaucracy is in our daily lives. The subject of nutrition alone already enjoys millions of dollars in government Internet attention — never mind the countless publications, pamphlets and educational programs.

In addition to Mrs. Obama’s new LetsMove.gov Web site, we can learn what and how to eat at teamnutrition.usda.gov, mypyramid.gov (another USDA site), healthymeals.nal.usda.gov (yet another USDA site), nifa.usda.gov (the National Institute of Food and Agriculture/Families, Youth and Communities), cnpp.usda.gov (Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion), and USDA’s Food and Nutrition service at fns.usda.gov, among others.

Clearly, there is nothing about eating that the U.S. government isn’t already telling us, so maybe that’s not the problem.

Mrs. Obama is a concerned mother, and she sets a strong example for those who ought to implement many of her proven and effective parenting strategies. I applaud the use of her platform to urge Americans to face the childhood-obesity issue as a way to do a better job of parenting, period.

That’s because it’s not only an obesity crisis we face; it’s a parenting crisis and a crisis of adulthood that has convinced too many Americans that our federal bureaucracy has an appropriate role in teaching us not just how to eat, but how to live.

Copyright 2010 Marybeth Hicks

Just because it is cold outside doesn’t make it open season for an excuse not to exercise. There are multiple exercise options one can choose to participate in regardless of what the outdoor thermometer reads. Depending on your location and likes, you can choose to workout inside or
outside.

All that is required for Winter-time workouts is some planning and employing all safety precautions. If you prefer to workout outside, keep the following tips in mind.

• Get warm first. A proper warm-up is critical. Cold temperatures can make your muscles tight and therefore they are more prone to injuries. So, it’s important to get them warmed-up prior to engaging in intense physical activity.
• Insulate your body. The best approach to dressing for outdoor exercise is with layers. Layering provides the most effective heating method, plus it allows you to remove the top layer if you get too hot. The layer closest to your skin should allow moisture to be wicked away. The top layer should be both wind and water resistant.
• No sweat. Don’t assume that you have to sweat in order to get a good workout. You should avoid sweating that causes the clothing layer closest to your skin to get wet and cause you to be chilled. Instead monitor your intensity through a heart rate monitor or the Rating of Perceived Exertion.
• Don’t strip when you get inside. While you may be tempted to immediately remove your layers when returning inside, give your body time to adjust. Post exercise hypothermia is possible. This happens when your body rapidly loses its heating stores.
• Drink up. It’s just as important to stay hydrated when exercising in winter as it is in summer, even though you might not feel as thirsty.
• Lighten up. If possible, it’s best to exercise outdoors during daylight areas. But, with shorten days that can be difficult to do. If you exercise outdoors when it is dark, wear reflective materials to ensure that you can be seen.

If the thought of getting outside to exercise makes you dive under the covers, instead choose one of the many indoor workout options. Below are just a few of the many choices.

• Walk at an indoor location, like a mall. If you need extra motivation to get yourself to the mall, join a walking group. This will help you stay accountable to someone other than yourself.
• Join a health club. This will allow you a large variety of physical activities to choose from every week.
• Create a home gym. This doesn’t have to be expensive. You can easily set-up a great workout routine with just a set of dumbbells, an exercise ball and a jump rope. Get all of this for around $50.
• If you have stairs where you live or close by, spend as little as 20 minutes at a time climbing up and down the stairs for a very intense and efficient workout.
• Get wet. Find a local indoor pool you can use. Try swimming, water aerobics, or even just walking or running laps in the water.
• Visit a library. Usually local libraries offer exercise videos you can check-out for free. Pick-up a new one to try out every time you return the previous video.

By staying fit during winter you’ll be able to avoid gaining weight, have a head start on swimsuit season, and avoid losing strength and stamina caused from inactivity. Just as tulips need winter nourishment from the Earth to strongly bloom in spring, humans need to continue to nourish their bodies during winter so they too can bloom come spring.



Copyright 2010 Lynn Bode

The long and short of the story is that the following message (or a version of it) floated around Facebook for a few days:

Hi everyone,  Some fun is going on…. just write the color of your bra in your status. Just the color, nothing else. And send this on to ONLY girls no men …. It will be neat to see if this will spread the wings of cancer awareness. It will be fun to see how long it takes before the men will wonder why all the girls have a color in their status… Haha

Being rather quick with the delete finger, I got rid of at least twenty copies of this message quickly before really tuning in to what was going on.  Let me say up front that I’m a pretty tidy Facebook user – I post status updates about my work and family, share photos, and keep up with friends and contacts.  I’m not a big group signer-upper, I don’t care for farm animals, and I’m not a gamer.  So when things like this come around, I usually delete and move on.

I honestly didn’t even give this issue much thought until Friday morning, when I tuned into my favorite Catholic radio show, The Catholics Next Door with Greg and Jennifer Willits.  On the show, Greg was sharing with callers his reaction to the phenomenon of women posting their undergarment colors for all to see.  He had commented upon this on his own Facebook page with the simple remark, “There’s a little too much info on Facebook today.” What ensued was a two daylong debate in the comments of Greg’s page (and likely on countless other sites too) with a thoughtful discussion of the facts at hand.  Greg’s position was that for some men, knowing this type of intimate information about women could be problematic.  Greg thoughtfully referenced teaching points from the Catechism of the Catholic Church to support his efforts to defend modesty.

Listening to the radio show and reading the comments on Facebook led me to ponder my own reaction to the Facebook trend.  In my mind, modesty issues aside, there is some minimal value in “raising awareness” about healthcare issues.  But let’s do so in a way that can be taken seriously by both genders, with factual information and a respectful tone.  Breast cancer has affected both men and women, and cancers of all types continue to be a universal health care issue.

What I’d truly prefer to see rather than awareness raising measures are real actions of support and compassion.  My fear is that we tend to take the easy way out with trends like these, thinking that we “gave at the office” because we tied a pink ribbon on our shirts or engaged in a trend on our favorite social networking site.  How about, if we truly want to make a change, contributing $5 to cancer research, driving a bedridden patient to her radiation appointment, or making dinner for a family whose mom is undergoing chemotherapy?

Raising awareness is fine, but next time I’d prefer that we raise compassion.  A caring attitude and a helping hand look good in any color.

Moms are busy. Most have very little time to dedicate to a solid fitness regimen. In fact, most mothers deserve an award just for showing up on the job every day. Taking care of the kids is hard work, and it’s difficult to find time to eat right and work out when the children are constantly in need of personalized attention.

So what can busy moms do to get in shape?

Get in Shape in 12 Minutes Per Day

Take 12 minutes out of every day. If you need to, you can even get up 12 minutes early. Most people can find at least 12 minutes every day.

There are several strength training routines that can be accomplished in just 12 minutes. Consider investing in a set of free weight and home gym equipment if you don’t already have some. The key to fast fitness is attention to form. When you are working out in just 12 minutes, you must perform each set of exercise you do flawlessly to get an effective work out. When lifting weights, take 4 full seconds to raise the weight, and 4 full seconds to lower the weight. This is critical to the effectiveness of a 12 minute workout.

By slowing down your movement, you take out any momentum and without momentum, only your muscle is working to move the weight.

Anybody can easily perform 4 exercises with perfect form in 12 minutes. If you add just 12 minutes of cardio vascular activity, even jogging in place, you’ll get fitter even faster. You don’t have to work out each 12 minutes consecutively; consider 12 minutes in the morning and 12 minutes in the evening.

Strategies for Losing Weight

There are many lifestyle changes that you can incorporate into your life that will also help promote fitness in time crunched times. When going to the grocery store, rather than drive around for hours searching for the closest parking spot, park in the one farthest away. You’re body will appreciate the extra effort it takes to get to the store and you’ll be exercising without even thinking about it.

Also take the stairs whenever possible, particularly if you are just going to the second floor. This little bit of activity will also act as a mini energy re-charger. Stairs are everywhere. If you are near an escalator, chances are the stairs are right around the corner. You might even have some in hour house. Have the kids climb them with you.

Don’t forget to engage the children in fitness. Take the kids outside for a walk, you’ll all benefit from the fresh air and extra exercise. If you are watching a television program together, commit to doing crunches or stretching on commercial breaks. By doing so, fitness becomes a game, one that will change your life and start instilling healthy habits in your children from an early age.

Steve Preston, President of Fast Fitness has been training and counseling clients for 15 years. He offers personal fitness training, metabolic testing and customized fitness and nutrition plans. His new guide *How to Build a Leaner, Firmer Body in Six Weeks* teaches busy moms and executives how to drop pounds and lose weight working out just 12 minutes per day. His guide offers individualized weekly work out routines and menu plans to help make life easy. You can read more about his guide and his other fitness guides and services at: http://www.fast-fitness.net

Deacon Tom reminisces over a visit with old friends in Colorado and about Colorado author and youth ministry expert Jim Beckman. The theme of this Deacon Moment is submission to the Christ Child.

Sarah Reinhard asks us to look at our Advent wreath and think of Mary, inspired by a recent Mary Vitamin.

Please consider joining us in support of the SQPN.com Giving Campaign.  Your donations will help us to continue in this important evangelization work.

This episode of Catholic Moments is sponsored by CatholicMatch.com, the Leading Catholic Singles Community.  Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

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Weight gain during December is very common if we don’t put some effort into avoiding those extra calories in holiday foods. Those dreaded holiday pounds can quickly sneak up on you if you are not careful. Here are some tips for cutting down the calories and avoiding the usual pounds we put on during the holiday season:

1st Tip – Get Another Taste Tester
If you are doing most of the cooking, you may be tempted to taste all the dishes along the way. All those little bites add up to quite a few calories. Ask someone else to be your taste tester instead.

2nd Tip – Don’t Nibble All Day
With all the holiday goodies sitting around the house it’s hard not to munch on a cookie here and there or grab a handful of nuts and other holiday foods. Many people who are very conscious about what they eat the rest of the year break down in the during the holidays. They nibble here and there all day, then eat a full meal of holiday foods as well. Do your best to avoid nibbling. If you feel like you need a snack, drink a glass of water or eat a piece of fruit instead. Cut up some raw veggies and set them out to snack on. It’s a much better snack, especially if you – like so many of us – snack out of habit and boredom, not because you are hungry.

3rd Tip – Stop after the first plate
Don’t go back for seconds. With all that yummy (and remember calorie-rich) holiday food sitting there it’s not easy. But don’t go back for more! Eat your dinner and then stop. It takes your brain at least half an hour to realize that you are full. Give your body a chance to tell you that you don’t need that second helping.

4th Tip – Drink Water
Another great trick to avoid overeating is to drink a big glass of water 30 minutes before a meal. You should also drink 6 to 10 glasses of water throughout the day to stay well hydrated. We often eat more when we are actually thirsty.

5th Tip – Use A Smaller Plate
You are going to fill up your plate with all those holiday foods sitting there. So use a smaller plate. Instead of using the big plates, grab a smaller plate to eat off of. You won’t be able to fit as much on it. Less food on your plate means less calories you’re taking in!



Find more great family recipes and meal planning assistance at Dine Without Whine

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the Medical University of South Carolina studied 195 people and found that nearly a year later 85% of the participants still had not lost that extra weight. That means that even if you only gain two pounds during the holidays, that if you consistently do that year after year you’ll be 10 pounds heavier in just five years! The study also found that overweight and obese participants gained the most weight during the holiday study compared to others.

Even small amounts of excess weight carry risks to our health. So, avoiding weight gain all together is the smart solution. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of weight gain,” said Dr. Samuel Klein, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Preventing the increase in weight is a lot easier and better than actually gaining weight and trying to get it off again.”

Sure, that may sound like something that is easier said than done. There are no shortages of holiday weight tips being echoed throughout t.v., radio and print. But, still people tend to gain some weight during the holidays. That doesn’t have to be the case! Let’s put some real-world reality to these tips to make them actually useful. There are reasonable ways to alter your behavior so that you can still enjoy yourself without becoming an unofficial member of the holiday weight gainers club.

Tip 1: Don’t abandon your fitness regimen during the holidays.

Sure, it sounds easy enough but even devoted exercisers can fail. During November and December many people’s time gets overtaken by holiday shopping, decorating, and family get-togethers. But, just because you abandon your normal workout routine doesn’t mean you can’t stay fit. Schedule just 10 minutes of each day for exercise. Put it on your calendar so you won’t brush it aside. 10 minutes a day can be enough to prevent gaining a few pounds. Exercises to try: brisk walks, strength training with dumbbells, resistance band exercises.

Tip 2: Allow indulgences but limit them.

Moderation is the key but in reality how many of us can stop ourselves from eating more than one cookie or resisting all the different types of homemade deserts at a family party. The key here is to remind yourself that if you eat a piece of pie you haven’t destroyed your healthy eating for the entire day. So, you can’t use that excuse and allow for a free-for-all. To keep yourself in check write down each indulgence you have. If you write it down you will see in black and white exactly what you are consuming and that should be enough of a reality check to keep you on track. You may even want to consider posting your indulgences on a public webpage that your friends and family view. Revealing this to others may further help keep you in check.

Tip 3: Stay out of the kitchen.

For those who find joy in baking treats during the holidays, this tip doesn’t sound very fun. Instead of placing police tape across your kitchen doorway, have fun baking but give the goodies away. As soon as you bake, place your items in containers. Give the containers to friends and family or to a good cause. One option is sending them to troops through Soldier’s Angels or Treats For Troops.

Tip 4: Avoid overindulging at holiday parties by eating sensibly throughout the day and avoiding the high fat foods at the buffet.

No matter what time of year, you should always strive to eat three to five meals per day. That helps to maintain a healthy weight. But, that can be difficult on a good day. When the busy time of the holidays rolls around it becomes more and more challenging. Still, with some planning it doesn’t have to be impossible. Plan one hour per week that you can take time at the grocery store and stock up on some healthy but quick foods. Try organic frozen meals you can heat in the microwave oven, roasted chicken from the prepared foods section and pre-cut vegetables.

When faced with a holiday buffet with tempting foods, try this plan. First go through the buffet line and pick only the most healthy options: vegetables with a small amount of dip, cheeses, and chicken (not fried) options. Eat those, then wait at least 10 minutes before you allow yourself to hit the buffet line again. This time choose just two less healthy options (get small portions) and allow yourself to eat those. Wait 20 minutes and drink two glasses of water during that time. Hopefully you won’t feel like returning to the buffet line but if you do you shouldn’t be too hungry and therefore should have more willpower at that time.

Tip 5: Strive for five-a-day. Ensure that you eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

This proves to be challenging for most people. But, these days you can get very creative with the foods you eat to satisfy your five servings. The best options are eating raw fruit and vegetables throughout the day – bananas, apples, carrots, salad. But, if that just isn’t going to work for you try out some of the new fruit/vegetable juices that give you both a fruit and veggie serving in a single glass. Also, there are fruit strips that are made of 100% fruit. You can even find snap pea chips these days. Some soups have full servings in them as well.

These 5 tips give you real world examples of how you can easily execute them while still fully enjoying the holiday season. So, no more excuses – follow the tips and you should find yourself picking a new resolution come January. No need to resolve to lose holiday weight!


Copyright 2009 Lynn Bode

Often we feel tension when trying to make good decisions in the kitchen.  Organic food vs. budget, avoiding processed foods vs. time spent in the kitchen…That tension is the motivation for creating Kitchen Stewardship.  I hate that feeling, and I want to help you break free of the worries and do your personal best to give your family and God the best you can, one baby step at a time.

I offer you one tiny step in the process of releasing worry and integrating prayer into your kitchen.  Today’s tip is for everyone who feels crunched by their food budget but wishes they could spend more on “clean” food.

The Tug of the Budget

We are not all able to give our families the very best, perhaps, because of financial limitations.  Many single-income families struggle with food purchases, especially when trying to eat nutritious, safe food.  Organic food is expensive. Stainless steel water bottles cost a lot more than plastic.  Avoiding pesticides may mean you have to avoid eating out or taking a vacation.  Healthy fats cost waaaaaay more than shortening. Fruits and vegetables – even the standard ones – make a bigger dent in the food budget than potato chips and processed bread.  Organic food is expensive.  (Have I said that one already?)  Buying grass-fed meat and healthy eggs can make you feel like you ought to get insurance for your frozen food in case of power outage.  Natural supplements and dishwasher detergents get into double digits pretty quickly.  And have I mentioned organic (and well-raised) food is expensive?

I don’t want you to think “eating healthy” means “eating organic”.  It’s far from that.  But purchasing foods that have LESS added to them – fewer preservatives, fewer pesticides, fewer chemical fertilizers, less processing, less sugar, less high fructose corn syrup – always ends up costing you MORE in the end.  It’s an unfortunate irony.

There’s no way around balancing a budget and buying healthy food.  Either you find places to cut and buy the expensive stuff, or you do what you can and purchase less than your idea in many categories.  What are those of us to do who have already made budget cuts, who desire organic spinach but must grab the 10/$10 bag of pesticide-laden stuff anyway?

How to Make Up for Less than Perfect?

My friend has a way to compensate.  She knows she can’t afford organic, pastured chicken, for example.  When she serves run-of-the-mill storebought chicken that ate God-knows-what under miserable conditions, she begs our Lord to fill the gap. She prays the meal blessing with her family and adds a codicil in her head: “Lord, I know this isn’t the ideal meal.  Please bless this food.  I trust you to make up the difference in nutrition for my family.  Protect us from anything in this chicken that might harm us. May we be healthy anyway.” It’s about doing your best, and then trusting God to fill the space that lies between the resources you have and what you’d like to serve.  God saved Daniel from hungry lions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from fire, and Peter from shackles in a prison.  Don’t you think He can protect your family from a few pesticides if only you ask?  “Bless US, O Lord…” Ask, seek, knock.  “And these Thy GIFTS…” God knows how to give His children good things!  “From Thy bounty…” All our food is from our God.  “Through Christ, Our Lord…” Jesus will provide.

Important to Remember…

One reminder:  please don’t look at this as an excuse to buy whatever you want and hope that God won’t allow the consequences of your choices to harm you. We are instructed not to tempt or Father.  We all know we shouldn’t go jump off a tall building and expect God to catch us so we aren’t at all injured.  We can’t be irresponsible with our choices.  Our purchases still affect the world at large.  We must be sure to do what we can to reduce our negative impact on the environment and give our families the best with the resources God has given us.  Someday we’ll be in Heaven, God willing, and we won’t have to think about what to buy, how to prepare it, and if it’s going to hurt us.

But in the meantime, since we live out of Eden, pray a meal blessing at every meal, and super-charge it with supplication for holy supplementation!



Copyright 2009 Katie Kimball