I See Unhealthy People

  When we went down to see my mom this past weekend, she asked me how much I weighed.  I don't usually bring it up unless asked.  To me, its more about how I feel.  And right now, I feel strong.  I told her the truth.   She smiled and said "I want to get down to what you weigh."  According to her, she weighs about 7 pounds more than my current weight.  "Mom, don't focus on the numbers.  Focus on the strength.  You need to build your strength."  She said, "You look like Popeye.  Do you eat lots of spinach?"  Then she crinkled up her nose.  "I don't like spinach."  "Yes, mom...I love spinach."  Then I flexed my muscles and smiled.  "You have to eat your spinach if you are going to be like me."
   I know my mom will never eat spinach.  She'd much rather have her treats, like chocolate.  And at 83, I honestly believe she should be able to eat whatever she wants.  However, looking back over my childhood years, I know my mom was never really what you would call a healthy woman.  And now, at so fragile a place, I knew she would be fighting for every year she had left.  It broke my heart because I knew, had she made better choices, she could practically live forever.  Many do.  I see them every morning on "The Today Show."  Willard Scott and "Smuckers" announcing all those folks having their 100th (or more) birthdays.
  As we left the facility, we passed patients gathered around for their weekly church service.  I'm sure many were hard of hearing, but they did their best to focus on what the pastor was saying.  So many dealing the effects of age related illnesses.  What really surprised me was the nurses.  Here they were in a rehabilitation facility, dedicated to getting well, and not one of them I saw was healthy.
  I remembered, not long ago, when I went to our local clinic.  The nurse asked me how I was feeling (I think its a required question).  "I feel great."  She gave me a strange look.  I mean, why was I there if I felt great?  The clinic wasn't for folks that felt great.  I suddenly felt as if I were wasting her time.
  The truth was, I was there to get weaned off the migraine meds I was on and I wanted them to recommend a good multivitamin that wouldn't make me gag.  I don't like the horse pills.  If I can get smaller ones, I prefer them.  Before I stepped on the scale, I proudly told the nurse that I'd been working out hard and eating better.  I had lost quite a bit of weight.  I don't think she was listening, because the first thing she asked was if I had a thyroid problem.

HELLO!  

CLEAN YOUR EARS OUT WOMAN!  

I HAVE BEEN EATING RIGHT AND EXERCISING! 

  I should mention that she herself was overweight.  Ugh.  Come on.  Have we become so used to seeing unhealthy people, we think those who are health conscious are sick?  When it was time for me to wait on my vitamin prescription at the pharmacy, I looked around.  All around me, I saw unhealthy people.  And I'm not talking about the patients.  I am talking about the employees.
  For my height, a healthy weight ranges between 108 and 145.  Let's face it.  I was 137 for many years.  I know my body.  At 5'4", that weight was too heavy for me.  I was tired all the time.  I had high cholesterol, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc...and in 2002, I was officially diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.  http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/diagnosis/berne.html
  The symptoms aren't that different from the Gulf War Illness, but since my Army doctors didn't believe in GWI, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.  No worries.  They had no determination as to the causes of Gulf War Illness, and they had to blame something for my problems.  Lately, I've been seeing television commercials looking for possible recipients for studies in Juvenile Fibromyalgia.  That's it.  Now our children are stricken.
  As someone who has dealt with many of these symptoms since Desert Storm, try this on for size.  Before you jump into some life long commitment to prescription medications, try changing you diet and start exercising regularly.  For my Fibromyalgia (and/or GWI), I am living "a life un-medicated".   Sure, I still have it, whatever it is, but I am managing it in a healthy proactive way.  Maybe, if I'm careful and make good choices as I grow older, I won't ever have to take meds for this.
  You know, I hate to admit it, but we are an unhealthy nation.  I know we have unlimited freedoms, but must we choose to be unhealthy?  We eat what we want even if we know its horrible for our bodies.  We spend too much time sitting and not enough time moving.  A quarter of the nation is overweight or obese.  http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html  And the percentages grow worse every year.  From what I've seen, many of those who are supposed to set the example (like for instance...health care professionals) suffer the same issues as those they treat.  Let's be better role models to our children.  Let's stop the madness.  Let's say, "I can...and I will live smarter."  Let's share ideas for getting fit.  Let's go for a walk.  Let's eat our spinach.  And let's change those statistics for the better.  After all, no one really wants to be unhealthy, right?