prevention

In today's society, we place a lot of importance on beauty and we make assumptions based solely on physical appearance. For example, if someone is thin, we assume they are healthy and fit yet many thin people smoke, have poor diets, and don't exercise regularly. Vice versa, an overweight person is often looked upon as unhealthy, lazy, and having poor eating habits. I have several friends who are not thin yet they are nationally ranked swimmers, triathletes, and runners and they live very healthy lives. Similarly, all too often, athletes think they are healthy because they are fit. Though there is a strong correlation between the two, there is no absolute causal effect. I learned this first-hand when I went in for a routine physical and had some blood work done. To my surprise, my cholesterol level was 260, 100 above normal and put me in the same category as an overweight 55 year-old. Though I was fit, running a 2:39 marathon, I was not healthy (must be all those pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream). Fitness is a measure of your ability to participate in exercise. Being healthy is defined as the absence of disease. One can be fit and not healthy. For example, you may exercise regularly and race competitively but if you eat a poor diet and you have high cholesterol, you are not healthy. Contrary, one can be healthy but not fit. For example, you have normal blood pressure and good cholesterol levels, but you do not or cannot participate in exercise. I encourage you all to make changes in your life to be both fit AND healthy.


Fit vs. Healthy
In today's society, we place a lot of importance on beauty and we make assumptions based solely on physical appearance. For example, if someone is thin, we assume they are healthy and fit yet many thin people smoke, have poor diets, and don't exercise regularly. Vice versa, an overweight person is often looked upon as unhealthy, lazy, and having poor eating habits. I have several friends who are not thin yet they are nationally ranked swimmers, triathletes, and runners and they live very healthy lives. Similarly, all too often, athletes think they are healthy because they are fit. Though there is a strong correlation between the two, there is no absolute causal effect. I learned this first-hand when I went in for a routine physical and had some blood work done. To my surprise, my cholesterol level was 260, 100 above normal and put me in the same category as an overweight 55 year-old. Though I was fit, running a 2:39 marathon, I was not healthy (must be all those pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream). Fitness is a measure of your ability to participate in exercise. Being healthy is defined as the absence of disease. One can be fit and not healthy. For example, you may exercise regularly and race competitively but if you eat a poor diet and you have high cholesterol, you are not healthy. Contrary, one can be healthy but not fit. For example, you have normal blood pressure and good cholesterol levels, but you do not or cannot participate in exercise. I encourage you all to make changes in your life to be both fit AND healthy.
Simple Things You Can Do To Be Healthy and Fit:	More Info/Reading:
• Drink WATER! Start every morning with a large glass of water, think colonic. • Eat FOOD, not too much, mostly plants (from Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food) • Eat meat as a side dish and not as a main • Green tea is also another great caffeinated beverage • Learn to breathe deeply and regularly • Learn to love yoga or some other type of exercise(s) • Drink alcohol in moderation • When grocery shopping, stick to foods with little or no packaging • If you take a supplement, take a multivitamin • Great tasting antioxidants: blueberries & rasberries • Devote 2-3 days per week as "non-meat, vegetarian days" • Limit your protein to 0.8-1.5 grams per 2.2 pounds of bodyweight • Be an optimist, have a good outlook on life, BE HAPPY • Rather than eating 3 large meals per day, eat 5-6 smaller meals • Have fiber in your breakfast • If you see the ingredient high fructose corn syrup, stay away from the product • Have at least 3-5 servings of raw, uncooked food (fruits, vegetables) per day • Almond butter and almond milk are good alternates for their dairy counterparts • Check out: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ *Check back as this is an on-going list My Oatmeal Recipe Organic Oatmeal (not the instant kind, but the old-fashion kind) Blueberry Flax Seed (from Trader Joe's) Chia seeds Top with any combination of mixed blueberries, coconut shreds, almond slivers, or goji berries My Smoothie Recipe Combine into a blender: almond milk, banana, flax oil, peanut or almond butter, mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries), cacao nibs	Vitamin D is the new Vitamin E...article. Superfoods are great-tasting and they are good for you...article. There's been some controversy around plastic, specifically the chemical bisphenol-A that is found in some plastics. Recent studies linked bisphenol-A with some cancers and gastrointestinal diseases. As cyclists, we rely on our plastic friend the water bottle, and since I've been sucking down on plastics for more than 20 years, I thought I would check out my water bottles. Most plastic containers have a number in a triangle on it, usually on the bottom. The numbers that you want to stay away from are 3, 6, and 7. Such plastics should not be used for food storage or allowed to be heated. I checked all my water bottles and none were of this variety. Here is a pdf file of everything you need to know about plastic...file. Here's an update on the Bisphenol controversy. Triathletes and Heart Attacks...article. The argument AGAINST endurance sports and exercise. This is a very interesting and must read if you truly consider yourself to be a health expert...more. We all know how fruits and veggies are good for us, now there is sound medical proof that they really do decrease your risk of cancer...more. Hey all you advil popping racers, you might want to read this article. I learned way back during my high school cross country days that you could pop advil before a race to alleviate the "hurt" during the race. Since then, I often hear triathletes and runners popping advil during a race as pain relief. I think this goes against the main reason why I race. I race to overcome mental and physical weakness, to push my limits, and to test my pain threshold. To buffer the physical part, in my opinion, is to cheat yourself of the true experience...more. For those of you who know about stem cells, here is a great article on a different approach to treat cancer, based on the stem cell idea...more. I've been wanting to do a write-up on vitamins and their use as supplements. Since multivitamins and doubts of their benefits have been in the news of late, I think it's time I contribute my two cent...more. The American Cancer Society's website (cancer.org) has some great resources. Click on the links to find out more: • Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) • Get a rough idea of your body's caloric needs per day • Cooking Smart • Men's and Women's Health A friend recommended the book Spontaneous Healing by Dr. Andrew Weil (thanks Leslie). I've long been exposed to eastern philosophy and chinese medicine by my dad, who is Chinese. As a biology major in college, my dad's influence and my own natural curiosity with alternative medicine was a nice complement to my western education. Similarly, a trained physician from Harvard, Dr. Weil strikes a nice balance between allopathic (western) medicine with a more eastern, alternative philosophy when it comes to maintaining good health. Give it a read!