Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Friday, February 23, 2018
BLOG 152 HORMONES
BLOG 152 HORMONES
Our bodies are fascinating functioning entities that are
designed to endure and last. Machines don’t always function properly and fine
tuning may be needed. If our heart is acting strange, we see a cardiologist. If
we are having issues with our feet, we go see a podiatrist. But sometimes the
answers aren’t so obvious when we know
something just isn’t right. Endocrinology, the study of hormones is only 100
years old so it’s in its state of infancy. Hence, why there isn’t always a
direct response from a doctor when it comes to a woman’s inquiry about her
sudden weight gain or lack of energy, or a male feeling depressed or sluggish.
Hormones can rule our lives. They turn children into adults,
affect or appetites, and affect our passions. We may not think of them in our
daily thoughts, but they are part of our daily lives for sure. The earliest
example of hormone study was with the famous opera singer of the 1700s named,
Ferinelli. He was castrated to keep his opera voice high. As a result, he had
many female features. Later, cattle and roosters were the lab rats to be tested
on.
In the 1800s, when women were having issues the answer was
to remove their ovaries. 150,000 women in Europe were treated this way to
address their unsolved womanly ailments. Yet, that just caused early menopause.
Hormones are chemical messengers that communicate much
differently than our nervous system. The word “hormone” came from the ever-famous
Greek poet, Homer. Cortisol is the stress hormone. Adrenaline is the flight or
fight hormone and there are many more. The pituitary gland is the major house
of these hormonal operations. It regulates our levels like a thermostat.
Studies of obesity led to the discovery of insulin and
leptin. Without insulin, one will develop diabetes and long ago diabetes was a
death sentence. Hence, the name “Die” abetes. Sugar passes straight to urine
when insulin is not properly functioning. Leptin is the fat hormone and
provides feedback to brain about our appetite. More fat leads to more leptin
and studies show this is caused by genetics
in addition to self-control.
The movie, “The Fantastical World of Hormones”, by Andrew
Smith, was very helpful in my research. This is just a synopsis because we know
that hormones are not a straightforward answer. On our fitness journeys there
may be speed bumps, but the road to your goals will lead you to better health
and a better YOU!!!!
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Monday, February 19, 2018
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Saturday, February 17, 2018
BLOG 151 POLY-CYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME
BLOG 151 POLY-CYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME
Women and hormones…. the subject
matter goes hand in hand. Our health is a culmination of bodily operations
functioning effectively, but there are an array of medical conditions that can
impact our fitness journeys. Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome, better known as PCOS,
is a hormonal imbalance which can lead to many problems for females. I was
actually inspired to write this Blog because my best friend has this and the
star of a reality T.V. show I watch called, “My Big Fat Fabulous Life”, has it
too. So let’s take a closer look.
PCOS
has to do with cysts growing in the ovaries, and “poly” means many small cysts.
On their own, these cysts are not dangerous, but they can cause havoc in other
ways. Hormones are communicators in our bodies. They send signals and messages
for functions to occur. But when there is a hormone imbalance, the following
can result: “One
hormone change triggers another, which changes another. For example:
- The sex hormones get out of balance. Normally, the ovaries make a tiny amount of male sex hormones (androgens). In PCOS, they start making slightly
more androgens. This may cause you to stop ovulating, get acne, and grow extra facial and body hair.
- The body may have a
problem using insulin, called insulin
resistance. When the body doesn't use insulin well, blood
sugar levels go up. Over time, this increases your chance
of getting diabetes.
There has not been a direct cause of
PCOS, but it seems to be genetic. Hormones really don’t make sense, much like
behavior during puberty doesn’t either. There are associated symptoms which
include:
- Acne.
- Weight gain and trouble losing weight.
- Extra hair on the face and body. Often women get thicker and darker
facial hair and more hair on the chest, belly, and back.
- Thinning hair on the
scalp.
- Irregular
periods. Often women with PCOS have fewer than nine periods
a year. Some women have no periods. Others have very heavy bleeding.
- Fertility problems.
Many women who have PCOS have trouble getting
pregnant (infertility).
- Depression.
The star of the show I watch, Whitney,
from “My Big Fat Fabulous Life”, blames her weight gain on PCOS. But the
controversy arises in that it wasn’t PCOS that put the weight on, rather it is
difficult to take the weight off because of it. It’s a culmination of these
symptoms that impact the psyche which impacts one’s fitness journey. It is said
that 8-20% of women suffer from this condition (nichd.nih.gov), and are
diagnosed in their twenties and thirties. Treatment is hormone based and might
include birth control to regulate periods, diabetes medication, hormones for
fertility and then any hair removal procedures. Thus, this can be a frustrating
experience for those on their fitness journeys having a hard time losing
weight. I know some of my clients have found comfort in having a diagnosis when
they feel like they are eating well and exercising very well, but don’t see the
results they want.
Good old lady hormones, and men don’t
like them either. They are only a speed bump on the road to health, but like we
know, this is a journey not a sprint. Results will come and the scale isn’t the
only measurable indication of success. You are so much more than that
number!!!!
Friday, February 16, 2018
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Monday, February 12, 2018
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Saturday, February 10, 2018
BLOG 150 THE REALITIES OF OBESITY
BLOG 150 THE REALITIES OF OBESITY
I’m a sucker for a good health and fitness reality
documentary, as I’m sure you are well aware of reading my blogs. In my years of
this industry, shows like, “My 600 Pound Life” and “The Biggest Loser” are
rather depressing and surprisingly hard to view for me. But I’m intrigued by
the emotional struggles and mental capacity of those who go on national
television in their most vulnerable state. So I watched another. This time is
was called, “Fat”. I guess the only difference with a movie vs a reality TV
show was that the lead character was his total true self, cussing and behaving
as he normally would.
Sean was obese. He was well aware he needed change, but the
motivation to take action was more than lacking. Finally, he took a trip to the
doctor just to see what could be done, of course with the mindset that there’s
a quick, easy fix for all this. Sean didn’t get the answer he was looking for,
rather the doctor prescribed him medication for high blood pressure. Sean
inquired about weight loss surgery, but instead the doctor recommended seeing a
nutritionist. Sean continued to feel defeated when he left.
His best friend was on his team, trying to be an advocate
for his change. He even set him up with a lady friend. However, when initially
shown a picture of the gal, he said, “What the hell, she’s fat” and “fat people
aren’t into other fat people”. So what did he do?? He called up his ex who he
had been really stuck on. She, however, upon meeting him said that he had let
himself go, and why was he asking for closure when it was such an insignificant
relationship. Crushed, he met up with best friend at their regular bar. On a
bet, he asked out the bartender. They go out, he tells her that he slept with a
homeless person once before. Ruined that. When he finally did go out with the
original woman his best buddy set him up with, he actually liked her. She
revealed she was getting the lap-band and later on in an argument he said to
her, “Ohh that’s right take the easy way out like your surgery”. That ended the
relationship.
He got a trainer who he ended up standing up. He attended
O.A. (Overeaters Anonymous). He blew up at the man running the meeting. Sean
was diagnosed with diabetes. His best friend admitted to him that he smelled
bad. His nutritionist fired him.
The point of my Blog is to tell your how poorly we have
represented obese people to be in the media and on T.V. We watch as they are
degraded and made out to be lazy and weak. What about discussing the causes,
the psychology of their current state, and what can be done for them for long
term results?? No, obesity is a money- making industry from the diseases it
causes, the billions of dollars spent on diets and surgeries, and the insane
amount of money spent on food. Someday I will write a book that discusses this.
For now, don’t judge obese people by their cover.
Mark Phinney. (2015). "Fat".
Friday, February 9, 2018
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Monday, February 5, 2018
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Saturday, February 3, 2018
BLOG 149 HUNGER BY ROXANE GAY
BLOG 149 HUNGER BY ROXANE GAY
A client recommended a great read to me, Hunger, by Roxane Gay, and I’m so
thankful she shared this book. It is her personal story of her past forever
haunting her and a life of food to hide herself. As a trainer, this story of
her BODY, was both powerful and moving. Sadly, it’s not the first time I have
read/heard/or even helped clients with similar memoirs. The odds seemed to be
lined up against her, but Roxane lives today as a feminist, successful writer,
and woman with an incredible message.
Roxane said, “I was broken, and to numb the pain of
brokenness, I ate and ate and ate, and then I was not just overweight or fat.
Less than a decade later, I was morbidly obese and then I was super morbidly
obese” (pg. 22). At the age of 12, she was gang raped by a boy she thought she
was in love with along with his friends in a cabin in the woods. Today, she can
still smell and taste the trauma, and she used food to suppress this horrible
moment of her life that she kept a secret until this book. At her highest, she
was 577 pounds. Her outlook on relationships, sex, and her personal sense of
self-worth, were forever changed when this happened to her.
Food offered her comfort and she was able to make herself
unattractive the larger she became (at least in her mind). Contrary to what one
might assume, she had an amazing, loving, family and support system. She was Haitian,
and her family was a tight knit unit. She grew up with parents who paid the
utmost attention to their kids and provided very well for them. But that didn’t
mean she felt it was okay to share her secret with them. In fact, she separated
herself from them and isolated herself in books and writing. She is a great
writer.
Obesity isn’t just about food. Although society has created
the notion that overweight people are lazy and eat too much, they rarely stop
to ask WHY?? Food is a drug for many people and it can be the high one needs to
not feel emotionally. The temporary satisfaction becomes an impulse and just
like a drug, one can never have enough as tolerance is built. To binge is to
numb whatever emotion is taunting. Food isn’t nourishment; it’s comfort. And
yet, society passes judgement, even doctors do too. A client might think I
don’t know what it is like or I can never relate, but food is a crazy, messy,
mind game for most of us. Professional natural bodybuilding has taught me that
lesson all too well. It isn’t just calories in and calories out, oh there is so
much more to being healthy than that.
I thank Roxane Gay for sharing her story and I thank the
client her recommended this book. Our fitness journeys are unique to ever BODY,
and every BODY is worthy of health and happiness. Sometimes the worst moments
give credit to who we are today. But they don’t define us. You can turn the
page and I will help you.
Hunger, Gay,
Roxane. (2017). Harper Collins Publishing.
Friday, February 2, 2018
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