BMI

Interesting story. I wonder if we will one day have to rattle off our BMI like it's our Social Security number?


HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Amid a growing obesity epidemic in the United States, an insurance company has started giving customers another reason to slim down by being one of the first in the nation to offer discounts to customers who keep a low body-mass index.

The program by Phoenix Cos. Inc. offers discounts up to 20 percent on life insurance policies to customers whose BMI is verified by a doctor to be 19 to 25.

BMI is a ratio of body fat that takes height and weight into account. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines obesity as a BMI of 30 or more; people between 25 and 30 are considered overweight.

Rude?

I've gotten a couple of e-mails and even a blogger who think I'm the rude one for getting mad at the weightlifter who wanted to "work in a set." (From Tuesday's story.)

I've heard their complaints, but I still think the guy was rude to ask to work in a set. And it was especially frustrating because it was the first time I had tried the weights on my own.

If I was sitting there for awhile, then yeah, that's obnoxious.

But he was hovering over me like it was a hot slot machine in Atlantic City. And I paused for only a few seconds. I equate it to a waitress asking if you're done with your plate when you put your fork down after one bite.

It's just unnecessary.

Any more thoughts on weight machine etiquette?

Watching what I eat

I continue to insist I eat fairly well. But I'm going to put my theory to the test.

For a week, I'm going to keep a food diary to track what I eat. I started yesterday.

I want to see two things -

1. Do I really eat as well as I think?

2. Will writing everything down keep me from overindulging?

This week might be especially illuminating. I'm helping to cover the ACC women's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum and it will probably be hard to eat really healthy.

I'm curious to hear how the experts and non-experts feel about food diaries. Are they good or a bit obsessive?

Over-the-top meals

Sorry to leave you guys hanging for a couple of days.

I went away to the mountains and was busy with work, but I'm back! And as you can see, I'm making up for lost time with a couple of new posts today.

Check out this report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which bills itself as "a strong advocate for nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy, and sound science."

An excerpt from their press release:

"Burgers, pizzas, and quesadillas were never health foods to begin with, but many restaurants are transmogrifying these foods into ever-more harmful new creations, and then keeping you in the dark about what they contain,” said Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of CSPI. “Now we see lasagna with meatballs on top; ice cream with cookies, brownies, and candy mixed in; ‘Ranchiladas,’ bacon cheeseburger pizzas, buffalo-chicken-stuffed quesadillas, and other hybrid horribles that are seemingly designed to promote obesity, heart disease, and stroke.”

Looking at all this can make you crazy, especially when I think about how many similar meals I've eaten in the past! And I wonder if there were calorie counts on the menu if I would ever go to a restaurant again.

I guess there is something to be said about this tip that I've seen: Immediately ask your waiter or waitress to box half your food.

Any other tips or healthy alternatives out there?

Third week of the Mayors' Challenge

Here are some excerpts from an update the YMCA put out yesterday on the mayor's challenge:

This week's health tip:
When trying to lose weight, know how to control your portion sizes. Remember - how much you eat can be just as important as what you eat. More in depth information on portion control is available here.

In the news this week:
Congratulations to Greensboro, recently designated as one of North Carolina's Fit Communities! Greensboro received this distinction based on efforts to increase the health of citizens through physical activity, healthy eating, and prevention of youth tobacco use. Fit Community is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina as well as the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund.

Mayors Update:
Our mayors are doing a great job on their healthy eating and exercise program. In the first two weeks, they had lost a collective 27 pounds!

Health on the Web:
Looking for health information online? Be sure to check here for delicious (and healthy!) recipes.

Tips from Diane Gill

Afraid of the gym?

Here are some tips from Diane Gill, a UNCG exercise and sport science professor who specializes in the psychology of exercise.

- Have the gym staff show you how the machines work. Also, there are instructions on the sides of many of the weight machines.

- If you can, go to the gym during times when there are less people there. Before and after work hours tend to be the busiest.

- Don't start out trying to do too much. You'll just hurt yourself and that means you'll be less likely to go back to the gym.

Today's column

Today's article in the News & Record:

Rage against the machines

By Amy Dominello
Staff Writer

After 10 reps on some sort of bench-press machine, I paused to take a break between sets.

Obviously, I needed to make sure I didn't overexert myself with the 10 pounds I was pumping.

But as soon as I paused, the guy hovering behind me leaned in.

"Do you mind if I work in a set?" he asked

Ticked off, I grabbed my towel and my water.

"This is why I don't use the weight machines," I growled at him, as I turned the machine over.

Click here for the full article.

New diet trick

Last night, I attended a dinner where I somehow managed to sit at a seat that had two place settings. While that meant two salads, it also meant two desserts.

Facing down two desserts can be difficult, but I found there's an easy way to deal: make sure N&R sports writer Robert Bell is nearby.

After he wolfed down his own slice of cheesecake, I passed over my two pieces to him.

So if you're trying to diet, just invite Robert to your home and feed him everything you're trying to avoid. Maybe it will catch on among dieters: Atkins, The Zone, and now, the Bell.

Two pounds down!

To answer Andrea's taunt, I have been weighing myself once a week.

Doing it more often would make me insane.

But I weighed myself today and I've lost two pounds since Feb. 1. It's probably a good thing that I saw some results. This blog might have gotten real ugly if I had gained some weight.

I want to hear from others who took up the mayors' challenge! Anyone else out there want to share their results?

Talk about willpower

Man, I can't believe I can complain about getting up early to go to the gym when there are people who are capable of this:

IN THE WESTERN DESERT, Egypt (AP) — A Greensboro, N.C., man and two other ultra-endurance athletes have just done something most would consider insane: They ran the equivalent of two marathons a day for 111 days to become the first modern runners to cross the Sahara Desert's grueling 4,000 miles.

Click here for full story.

I wish I was a little bit taller ...

Since the beginning of January, I've been playing basketball in a rec league twice a week along with N&R City Hall reporter Margaret Banks.

Good thing there weren't tryouts. We never would have made the team. The league consists of teams who've played together for years and ex-college players.

But in spite of our team's 1-9 record, both Margaret and I have had a good time playing. We've met some really cool girls on our team. As someone told us last night, our team has "great spirit."

Sure, it'd be nice to win a few more. But Margaret and I have realized one benefit - our lungs no longer burn when we run!

And let's face it - I'll run a lot harder in a competitive situation than I ever will on a treadmill.

Gym etiquette

So I conquered my fear of the elliptical machine and used it on both Friday and Sunday.

But I did have to switch to the bike when the gentleman on the elliptical next to me would not stop talking about the game on television and his family's upcoming move. I don't know about you all, but I am not someone that wants to chit-chat while I've got sweat pouring down my face at the gym. Is there any sort of gym etiquette on that or am I just rude and unfriendly to want to be left alone?

I also got my friend and co-worker Tina Firesheets (You may recognize her from all the Sweat Boxes in the News & Record she does) to show me how to use the different weight machines. You'll be able to read about my experiences with that in Monday's paper.

Weak-ends

Well, the weekend once again was little tough.

I did drink some beer on Friday night. (There are just some bars where you look weird drinking wine, and this was one of them.)

I was also dragged, sort of, to Waffle House by a visiting Yankee friend who thinks Waffle House is God's gift to the South.

I feel like I combated that a little bit by grabbing sushi with a friend later that night. But is sushi really good for you? I'm not even sure. It seems like it should be. Or is it one of those things you think is great for you and it's really not?

How the mayors are doing

This just in from the YMCA:

We are proud to say that your Guilford County mayors collectively lost 20 pounds in the first week! Their individual weight loss ranged from one to three pounds (a healthy weight loss is generally one pound a week, although you may lose more in the beginning, which is typically what you hear referred to as "water weight").

How are you doing with your program? Valentine's Day was a challenge for all of us, and now the key is to get back on track. Another upcoming challenge is "Fat Tuesday" on Feb. 20, which kicks off the observation of Lent, a tradition of self-discipline and reflection (Feb. 21-April 7). Maybe this year, we can kick it off with "Low Fat Tuesday."

The link to the mayor's challenge is here.

The trouble with BMI

Interesting story today on MSN about the limitations of using BMI, or body mass index, as a measure of body fat.

When I checked my BMI a couple weeks ago it said I was 25, which is the very beginning of the overweight category. It pushed me to join up for the mayors' challenge to try and lose 10 pounds and get healthier. All of which is positive.

After reading the article on MSN, I played around with the BMI calculator. I would have to drop three pounds to 147 to be in the "normal" category.

But clearly, as the article points out, there are limitations to using BMI. I would still be considered "normal" at 113 pounds! There's no way I'd be "normal" at that weight. I'd be dying. I think I weighed more than that in high school, for god's sake.

It doesn't change my motivation to get fit, but I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying that BMI might not be gospel.

Anybody have anything to add on this debate?