Take Charge Now

    An oxymoron isn’t always a figure of speech which poses a paradox.  (Need Google yet?)  It sometimes comes in the form of actions. For example, a few days ago, I was standing in line at a local store, and the person in front of me was purchasing lunch. There were two items.  One was a bottle of Smart Water (made me wonder what dumb water was—maybe like a dumbwaiter?). A decent start, I thought. 
    Then the second item was produced—a package of commercial donuts.  You know – the small ones covered with the wax chocolate.
    I couldn’t help noticing this person probably had a 30-32 BMI, and I am guessing she hadn’t walked around her block yet and that eating habits similar to today’s lunch is the reason her BMI was 32.
    We PTs always seem to think about things like gait patterns, curvature of the spine and BMIs.  
    BMI?  Body mass index is a number from a formula that considers your height and weight and takes into account muscle, bones and fat. This number allows health and fitness professionals to objectively discuss a patients degree of obesity. 
    BMI ranges are based on the relationship between body weight and disease or death.  A BMI over 25 is associated with a health at risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and stoke.  Over 40 is consider morbid obesity. Maybe you should Google yours right now. It’s easy to do. All you need is to know your height and weight and be honest.
    For people who never have smoked, obesity is associated with 51% increase in mortality compared with people who have always been normal weight.
    Take charge of your health now! After your daily walk, I suggest a salad and your favorite low fat protein with your smart water for lunch.  
Tom Coplin, PT
Central Physical Therapy