Are we there yet? And other important journey questions

Most of the time I wear my Fitbit.  I don’t have the fanciest version.  I don’t even use all the features mine has.   A week or so ago, I took it off to charge and didn’t put it back on for days.  And that is a good thing.

A Fitbit or other tracker (I happen to have a Fitbit, but I have no strong opinion on which kinds of trackers are best, as will be evident by what I’m about to say…) is a tool, not a goal.  Ten thousand steps a day will not perfect me.  A few more, a few less, and I will still be fine.  It is important to remember who is boss.  Hint:  it is not the little rubber and plastic thing on the wrist.

The tracker’s job is to remind.  We need mindfulness.  If our inner Lao Tse of the ten thousand mile journey needs a little help counting the steps after the first one, no problem.  But the number of steps does not measure the quality of the journey.

What do we see on the way?  How do we feel?  Where are we going?

Guest Post: How to evaluate a mass-media health article by Syd Salsman

I was thinking about all the information that bombards us on the news and in magazines and all over the internet.  As you may know, my son is studying to be a librarian and information professional, so rather than ask him and paraphrase, I asked him to write a post.  This is what he says.  Syd wanted me to use a photo of Melvil Dewey, the decimal system guy, but I am lame and couldn't get it to work. Instead, because I am his mom and can do it, here is a picture of him with his mouth full - js

The first step is to read the article critically and thoughtfully, looking for exaggerated claims and sales pitches. Many otherwise sensible articles have exaggerated headlines. A headline claiming a miracle cure isn’t necessarily a sign the article isn’t reliable, but if the article itself makes claims of a miracle cure or outrageously effective weight loss method, be suspicious. There are no shortcuts and a reputable health article will not claim there are.

Look for specifics of the scientific study or studies the article is based on. Is this a report on one study, or a pattern that scientists have identified across studies? Who did the studies? Look for MDs and PhDs, not vague claims of expertise. What organization are they affiliated with? If you’re not familiar with the organization, Googling it can give you a good quick impression of whether they are a reputable medical center like the Mayo Clinic or a fly-by-night snake oil outfit. As a general rule, if the organization’s website focuses on selling a product rather than facilitating access to information and services, suspect snake oil.

If you’re satisfied that the article is reporting on a study done by real doctors working with  a reputable organization, and the article has quoted from the study extensively and provided clear context, the article is likely reliable. If you’re still not sure how reliable the article is, the quickest route to certainty is to find the study itself.

To find a study, pull as much information on the study as you can from the article itself, and plug it into Google. This will usually work, but if it doesn’t try plugging the same information into Pubmed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/). Once you’ve found the study, skim the summary, chapter headings, and conclusion. Do they seem to reflect what the article says? Do they suggest anything useful for you as a health-conscious person? Many studies are done on rats or with very small, non-representative samples of people, so even a solid study can fail to offer much to incorporate into your own life. This doesn’t mean it’s bad information, but it may not have the implications for human lifestyle choices a mass media health article might suggest.

In general, regard mass media health information with skepticism. Some good sources for health information on the Internet are Pubmed Health (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/), and The Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-care-and-health-information). Pubmed Health has a specific search option for consumer information, and the Mayo Clinic website allows you to search  a library of symptoms, tests, procedures, and diseases. Both of these are far more reliable than say, The Huffington Post. Most of all remember, before you apply health information to your own life, consult with your doctor!

Friday Exercise: Kettle Bell Swings

The Amazing Stickie likes kettle bells.  This may be because they look like really powerful handbags with which to whack bad guys who try to mug you in dark alleys.  For those of us who do not have kettle bells (essentially a metal ball with a handle), this exercise can be done using a dumbbell.

Form is important no matter what exercise we are doing, but even more important in this exercise because no one wants to throw out a back.  As you may have guessed, Stickie begins standing with excellent posture and maintains control of her abdominals throughout the exercise to protect her back.

She swings the kettle bell down between her legs, bending her knees into a slightl squat.  Then she swings it up to shoulder level in front of her, keeping her arms straight the whole time.  Her legs straighten, her glutes contract, and her hips thrust ever so slightly forward.  Because Stickie has practiced a lot, she tends to do swings in sets of 20 or 30, but they are surprisingly aerobic, so don’t feel compelled to begin with that many repetitions and be sure to allow yourself time to recover between sets.

Thursday Book Report: Trail Guide to Movement

Trail Guide to Movement by Andrew Biel is a companion to Trail Guide to the Body, which I wrote about a while back.  Over the course of the book, we “build” a body in motion.

The excellent information comes packaged with humor.  The illustrations are both entertaining and informative.  Unlike many other movement books, this one goes into detail about the neurological aspects of the process.  I’ll be keeping the book close by for reference.

Try (some of) this at home

Sometimes balance work seems silly.  It’s not like we are going to have to get out of bed and walk a tightrope or anything (most days, anyway…).  But then there is that thing on the top shelf in the kitchen and suddenly we are perched on our toes on the counter and it doesn’t seem that silly after all.  (Don’t tell Brent that I sometimes do that…)

Admittedly, standing on the counter might not be the best place to start working on balance.  Standing next to the counter, however, is a great place.  We can rise up on our toes with the support of the counter top, or with our hands hovering over the counter once we have mastered the first part.  We can shift our weight to one leg and lift the other and then reverse it.  We can see if we can load the top rack of the dishwasher on one foot, or transfer dishes from the drainer to the cabinet that way.

Small, easy, everyday actions can build into great things.  But I probably won’t install a tightrope from my bed to the closet any time soon.

The weight of years...

I went to visit my parents over the weekend to help them pack some things in advance of moving.  It was thought-provoking.

My parents are both in their seventies and reasonably healthy.  They are dealing with some age-related issues in their knees and backs.  They are not as strong as they used to be.  They do not have the same stamina.  Like many of us, they could lose a few pounds and make better food choices.  They are living out the results of their life choices; some are good, some less so.  They count their blessings, and I count them as blessings.

Sometimes it is easier to see in other people what we need to see in ourselves.  I want to be a healthy and strong septuagenarian.  That means I need to work now to be healthy and active because I will never be younger!

The other provoked thought was about stuff.  They have a lot of it, like all of us.  I packed things that they hadn’t used in a long time and may never use.  They are carrying a lot of extra pounds.  A few of them got shed while I was there and maybe more will get lost before the move is over.  Moving the extra pounds around, putting them in boxes, was hard on their bodies. 

Let’s lighten up.

Even though it is pi(e) day...

Rewards work.  Sometimes.

When we want to build a habit or achieve a fitness goal, it can help to promise ourselves a treat for our accomplishment.  However, there are a couple of risks to the technique.

For instance, if we choose a reward that isn’t that compelling, we can decide, moment to moment, that it isn’t worth it.  Maybe, in a general way, we want a new gizmo or outfit or thingie, but not enough to motivate ourselves not to eat the cake or to do more pushups or to spend the extra ten minutes of cardio.  That can be useful information, of course, but it doesn’t get us closer to our goal.

Alternatively, we can choose something small that we do want, like maybe a car wash or a pedicure (two of my favorite fairly inexpensive, inedible indulgences).  Then, when we screw up, we think we don’t deserve any of those things ever.  That, in some cases, can throw us into the whirlwind of self-doubt, self-hatred, and even self-punishment.  Not helpful.

In order to make rewards work for us, we need to choose carefully.  With a big goal, giving ourselves incremental rewards can help us feel special and empowered along the way.  If, say, we get some new workout clothes halfway to our goal, we might make better, faster progress toward the ultimate goal and the big reward, which might be something like a weekend away, or a better bike, or a fancy makeover.

Just watch out for the ice cream rewards.