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The following is a piece I wrote last year in March of 2014. I felt it would be timely to post it here given the many current global health crises in progress:
As Americans, we have experienced many wonderful and exciting technological advancements in the 21st century, however those advancements have now been marred given the fact that so many of our children and adolescents are unable to function normally, either physically or mentally and learning for many youngsters has become obstructed by a myriad of negative and destructive influences. As a former secondary education classroom teacher in New York suburban schools I was quite literally on the “front lines” of the war on childhood obesity. In order for children to truly thrive, their environment must be conducive to it. In order for them to learn and later function in what now has become an increasingly complex society, it is imperative that the school atmosphere be one that is safe, healthy and nurturing. This includes but is not limited to children and adolescents seeing and interacting with proper role models throughout the school day. Children are heavily influenced by those around them and while in most cases school officials and personnel cannot control the environment outside the school setting, they most certainly have the power to control what takes place on school property. It is time for educators both inside and outside the classroom to do what is right for the health and well-being of the child which includes a return to professional and what I term “health-driven” conduct on the part of the school administration, faculty and staff. How many of you over the age of 50 (as I am) can remember the names of your teachers? I will bet that not only do you remember most of their names, but I am certain that so many of them had a profound and mostly positive effect on you during the course of your K-12 education. A return to that professional classroom environment of yesteryear which includes a policy of no eating or drinking during class (except for water when needed on hot days) would be a tremendous start. This would also include administrative offices within the school building where children are often present throughout the day. It is highly disruptive to the continuity and effectiveness of the lesson when the air is filled with the smell of junk food and the stench of the remaining garbage afterwards. Teachers have the power to be excellent role models for our children. Engaging in constant, often mindless eating throughout the school day infringes on not only the well-being of the teacher, but also, and I would argue more significantly, on the child. Students must never see their teachers eating during class time when they are supposed to be teaching and therefore not wholly focused on their students. This sets a very bad example particularly when we as a nation are experiencing not only an obesity epidemic but also a multitude of other very serious health issues as result of not only overeating but eating so much junk. Food, especially junk food, must never be used as a “pacifier” for students with disciplinary issues. Additionally, during the school day, faculty, administrators and staff must never return to the school building from break periods reeking of cigarette smoke. Again this sets a very bad example for our youth. Although a child may live in a household where smoking and unhealthy eating take place, the school environment and a professional and dedicated staff can often make a profound difference in the life of a child. You would be very upset if your physician were eating a greasy pizza and smoking while examining you or giving you the results of lab tests. That would be unprofessional to say the least. During my tenure as a grade 7-12 foreign language teacher, I was required to teach a unit on food as part of the curriculum. I also taught a sixth grade French and Spanish twelve week immersion program. As a reward for studying hard, I arranged for special field trips to world cafés where students learned to order meals in French or Spanish. This was special. The students looked forward to it and it was appropriate as part of their foreign language and cross-cultural education. Additionally I invited students who were well-behaved into my classroom during their lunch period and mine for extra help at which time I provided fresh fruit slices and sparkling water. The students appreciated the extra help and loved the fresh fruit as well as the “fancy water with bubbles” as they called it. For some students the fiber in the apple skin would be the most fiber they consumed on any given day. This is unacceptable. School districts can help remedy the situation by taking the following steps: 1- Enact a rule that eating will only take place during school breakfast programs and lunch periods within the cafeteria walls with school-based administrators enforcing this rule and also setting a good example themselves. 2- Understand that the major reason that so many students need to use the restroom so often is the result of all the gastro-intestinal difficulties which students experience during the course of the school day particularly in the afternoon. The ridiculous food choices currently available in most schools are undoubtedly the major culprit. 3- Completely remove the “junk” from the cafeteria and replace it with daily deliveries of berries, apples, bananas, red grapes, oranges etc. Students will choose food over hunger in a heartbeat and will soon realize just how satisfying healthy eating can be just as my students did. Frozen berries for example are available year round and can be thawed and served as a much better option than chips and candy. 4- Consult Dr. Robert H. Lustig’s Book, “The Fat Chance Cookbook” as a model for meals students will certainly find appetizing. 5- When any school board of education crony declares the board can’t afford to offer healthy, tangy, zesty, lightly grilled, sautéed and steamed vegetables, lean protein and fruit, then stand up and shout the following: WE CAN’T AFFORD NOT TO ANYMORE! There will not be enough cardiologists and endocrinologists to treat the coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, etc. I also consistently modeled a physically active lifestyle for my students. They could plainly see that I exuded lots of energy upon arriving at school and were curious to know how this was possible first thing in the morning. I would explain my daily cardiovascular and anaerobic exercise routine which I also incorporated into my foreign language lesson plans. As required by the New York State Dept of Education I also taught all the sports and fitness-related vocabulary and phrases and integrated total physical response activities with full body Simon Says for active foreign language acquisition. The experience was virtually a Phys Ed class conducted in French and Spanish. As far as the English version of regularly scheduled Physical Education and Health classes are concerned it is now time to explore alternative and more effective solutions for reaching grades K-12. Those teaching these subjects in particular need to look and act the part in order to make a lasting impression on children and adolescents. A teacher who practices what he or she preaches is paramount in order to effect positive change in the life and well being of a student. Oftentimes when there is no proper role model at home, the teacher must then take on that role. Perhaps a requirement that Health and Physical Education teachers also become certified nutritionists and certified fitness professionals by nationally recognized and accredited bodies would be prudent. This would benefit not only the child, but also the educator. 67% of Americans meet the criteria for being overweight and one third of those Americans meet the criteria for being obese. It is time to stop this epidemic in its tracks and “model” healthy living for the sake of our children as well as their children. For life, "CLIMB, LIFT & EAT WELL..."
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Three years ago, I knew instinctively that the time had come to progressively, yet safely, increase the intensity of my regular weight-lifting and stair climbing regimen in order to remain as healthy as possible while continuing to get stronger. I also made the conscious decision to now limit the downtown San Francisco bar/lounge scene and replace it with a very brisk evening walk along San Francisco Bay. Since then I consume no more than a total of 4 - 8 alcoholic beverages per month and mostly during air travel which includes time spent at the airport as well as in-flight. This is a perfect example of the moderate consumption of wines and spirits which I refer to as "C.E.O." - Certain Extraordinary Occasions.
When I do travel, which is on average about 75,000 miles per year, I am always quite comfortable in the airport club/lounge where I have been a member for almost a decade. This is the period of time that is my own after passing through security. This is where I can really relax and practice "CEO." I have my "usual" before my flight which is served by my favorite bartenders at SFO and JFK as well as at all other locations worldwide. They know without having to ask that I like a bottle of sparkling water with limes on the side, Perrier at JFK and Pellegrino at SFO. Once on board, I keep it to one drink cross-country and perhaps two on a long-haul trans-oceanic flight. I choose wisely and I sip slowly as I relax and enjoy the journey to my destination. As always, consult a trusted, board-certified physician for all your personal health needs. "CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL..." On this day after we celebrate the mothers we love and cherish, I thought it would be timely to share an excerpt of my manuscript in progress. It recounts the story of the events leading up to my surviving sudden-onset idiopathic Septic Shock in 1996, the aftermath and how my experience can benefit the public.
Music speaks volumes when words falter... For 29 days in the Intensive Care Unit, the voice of Enya Brennan was right there beside me, comforting me and giving me strength as I struggled to stay focused. Her soothing music enveloped my room helping me to gather all that was within me to keep going. Although there were moments when letting go was right there for the taking, I continued to hold on. This was no longer about me, not at all. It was now about a little boy who was eagerly waiting for his mother to come home. Although it seemed insurmountable, I had to somehow survive so I could make my way back to the life my little boy had known prior to that fateful Valentine's Day in 1996... Years later, after the advent of the Internet, I discovered that Enya and I were the same age. A 34-year-old woman had given comfort and hope to another 34-year-old woman, a continent away, and in her darkest hours." In order to guard against preventable conditions and diseases as well as to help counteract aging and strive for happiness, the human body must be understood and above all, respected. The human mind and our right to choose what is best for our children and ourselves must also be respected as well as protected.
25 years ago I personally had gained over 50 pounds during the course of two years. I had been eating lots of junk food and I had not been exercising at all. I take full responsibility for my actions, however I must underscore the negative impact that the prevalent and pervasive lack of respect for mothers who chose to stay home full-time to care for their own children at that time had on my self-esteem. It contributed the most to my overeating and becoming obese. Although my husband and I both agreed that it was best for our baby and for me to be a full-time mother, society was very unkind particularly about such personal and parental matters. The women's movement, as I understood it then, was supposed to be about choice and about being respected for those choices that were in fact a woman's right to make. Unfortunately, everywhere I looked, I became the object of comments such as "Aren't you bored being at home all day?" as well as "Don't you miss interacting with adults during the workday?" It was particularly brutal as these comments all came from other women. I always answered "No, not at all. I want to care for and teach my baby until he turns 6 when he will be in school for the full-day." Imagine if I had turned those questions around and asked "How can you leave your baby with a stranger in a day care center or with your mother-in-law who is a chain smoker?" or perhaps, "Don't you want to be there to witness and experience the joys of watching your baby grow and learn?" Of course I never did ask any questions of the sort. It was not my decision to make, nor was it my place to comment on the lives of others, but it was open-season on new mothers such as myself. Fortunately for my baby, for my husband and for me, I had made the right choice for all three of us. Then in December of 1989, after a notice came in the mail that our ten-year high-school reunion was coming up in 1990, I took a hard look at myself and how unhealthy I had become. So on my 28th birthday, I began a course of action to reverse the situation. After consulting with my primary care physician, I immediately switched to a healthy, balanced whole-foods meal plan and completely eliminated junk foods and junk beverages. I also began to educate myself about weight-lifting for both decreasing excess body fat as well as learning how it plays a major part in avoiding chronic and preventable conditions and diseases. I put a comprehensive plan into action and dedicated 7 out of 168 hours a week to proper exercise. Every human being needs to understand the essential role that progressive strength training and on your feet cardiovascular exercise play in improving, sustaining, and saving lives. So when a sudden, unforeseen catastrophic event occurred (through no fault of my own), on Valentine's Day 1996, my daily dedication to CLIMBING, LIFTING and EATING WELL for six years was put to the test. I passed. I survived the 29-day ordeal and since then I have truly thrived. (By the way, when my life hung in the balance 19 years ago, rather than thinking I should have worked outside the home the first six years of my son's life, I was grateful that I had been the one teaching him, playing with him, and loving him. For if I had not survived on that Valentine's Day 1996, at least my son would have had me, his mother, in the forefront of all his early childhood memories. I am currently working on a manuscript recounting the details of these events with a very special epilogue to benefit the health and well-being of the public here at home as well as worldwide. As always, consult your trusted, board-certified physician for your personal health issues and concerns. CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL... As we know, the best and most effective leaders inspire positive change by example. It is very easy to spot an individual who talks the talk and walks the walk as he or she stands out for all the right reasons. I speak to you via first-hand experience, empirical evidence and of course integrity.
Patients who are hospitalized, regardless of the reason, are almost always encouraged by medical staff to try to get back on their feet as soon as possible even if only to take a few steps from their hospital bed to the nurse's station. It is never about sitting or displacing body-weight onto hands on a stationary bike unless the patient is physically unable to stand. In these cases, strength-training helps to compensate for the absence of the ability to walk. In fact many amputees and wheel-chair bound individuals are stronger and fitter than those who can walk because each and every muscle group is properly and consistently strengthened and conditioned via progressive strength-training using challenging yet safe external loads. Those who are able to stand yet choose a stationary bike are in effect choosing a child's bicycle with training wheels that never come off. Don't just sit there and take the hype you have been fed lying down. Optimum strength, power and endurance are achieved when you stand on your own two feet both literally and figuratively. Learn the facts about how to achieve optimum health and fitness so you can judge for yourself. Only you can take the first step. CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL... |
Audrey"Let's PREVENT what we can and BE COMBAT-READY for what we cannot as we ENJOY and make the most of every single day!" Archives
July 2024
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