Love that Dr. Oz!

So yesterday I had the distinct honor of seeing two of my heroes in one place...Dr. Oz AND Richard Petty! Hot dog!! (I wanted to say something else here but my kid reads this:) Dr. Oz was in my town as a benefit for our free clinic. He is deeply concerned with Americans, their health, and our rising obesity rates. My dear friend, Ms. Kapoozie, gave me her ticket to hear Dr. Oz, as she was unable to attend. As his TV show, it was very informational, and entertaining. He is a brilliant man. The King? Mr. Petty was escorting his sweet mama to hear the commonsense doc. Both were so close I coulda kissed them!

I will attempt to share the main points of the doc's talk...but no promises on extreme accuracy. He asked us all to share with a friend or two so they might enjoy improved health.

• 80-90% of the time, losing weight will improve blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart disease, and diabetes.



• Diet soda is terrible for us. It is basically water full of chemicals and we would all be better off drinking tea with moderate REAL sugar, and have the bonus of anti-oxidants.



• Your ideal waist size = Height divided by 2.
  


• Smokers tend to have low self-esteem. So, don't try to brow beat a smoker into quitting, encourage them with talks of their improved health.



• A man with a neck size larger than 17 is most likely to have sleep apnea and sleep apnea means you stop breathing!



• The supplements the doc himself takes daily: vitamins A,B,C,D,and E, calcium, magnesium, selenium, zinc, omega 3, and aspirin. He says everyone needs vitamin D and omega 3 daily.

A lady asked in parting what three things he thinks most important to our health. His response?

1. 30 minutes of exercise that makes you sweat EVERY day!



2. Whole foods...ie. foods without labels, looking like the food they represent....apples, salad, veggies, etc.



3. Finding a purpose. (Love that!)

I think people are recognizing more and more that our physical health is tied to our mental and emotional health. It is important that we have wellness in all three areas. I would add spiritual health to that too. What a lot of pressure when you don't believe in a higher power! I would crumble to think I had to do it..."it" meaning life....all myself.

Since my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis 3 years ago, we have slowly tried to transform much of our life. This would include, healthier eating, healthier purchases at the grocery, reducing stress in our lives, focusing on the important things (family, friends, faith), and living life on purpose. If we hate the thought of spending time doing something, we don't do it (with the exception of necessary things like cleaning the cat litter!) We are failing epically right now on in the category of physical fitness, but it is July. The only exercise any of us get is floating in a pool.

In the pursuit of healthier eating, we planted our first full on garden this year! I am very proud. We have harvested more squash than any of us really wanted to eat, many cute little pickling cucumbers, mom's dill, and finally, tomatoes, and our first cantaloupe! All of this grown pesticide-free. Yet to come, hopefully peppers bigger than my thumb. Unsuccessful? The collards and eggplant. We have a lot to learn, but its exciting putting our health first and trying to produce our own food. (I had to add a photo of the fruits of Kelly labor above.)

My best wishes to you as you pursue your own better health!