Body mass index is a measurement used by the medical community to determine healthy body weight. It is the standard used to decide if patients are overweight or even obese. For years, it has been considered the most telling sign of overall health. Considering the importance placed on this figure by the medical community, a surprising number of people are unaware of what body mass index is, and why or why not it is considered significant to their overall health.

Body mass index, or BMI, is derived by relating your height to your weight. An ideal, healthy adult should have a BMI that falls between 18.5 and 25. BMI does not take into account body fat content, which is another significant indicator of health. For this reason, BMI is not effective on those with a very muscular or athletic build. The BMI indicator would show them to have a mass far too great for their height, which this scale presumes to be unhealthy.

Because of this, other factors are now being used in place of BMI. One of these is waist circumference. One common area that they body store excess fat is around the middle or the body, and often indicates health risks for high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. For women, the cut off for a healthy waist circumference is 32 inches; for men, 37 inches. This measurement should be taken at the smallest point of the waist.

Another method now used to supplement a BMI measurement is size ratio of the waist and hips. Recent studies have shown that waist-hip ratio is in fact the best indicator of excess body fat and increased risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. This is due to the fact that after the waist, the hips are the most common area for the body to store fat. The waist measurement should again be taken at the smallest point of the waist; the hip measurement is taken at the widest point. The ratio is waist in inches over hips in inches. For women, a ration under 0.8 is considered healthy; for men, 1.0 is the healthy cut-off.

As research continues to emerge, our knowledge of how to measure our body’s health will continue to improve. There is not currently sufficient research to support any one measurement as a blanket statement of health. Instead, take into account several measurements, and other health factors such as your level of activity, alcohol intake, and diet. If you are getting conflicting measurements, or are unsure about the healthfulness of your lifestyle, the best person to discuss concerns with is always your doctor. Your body isn’t a casino, don’t gamble with it.

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This KFC Double Down has gotten quite a bit of press recently… and most of it bad. Many have claimed that it’s unhealthy and just a heart attack waiting to happen. Should we be worried? Here is the Double Down’s nutritional information (for brevity, I’m just giving the highlights):

Clearly, the KFC Double Down isn’t going to win any awards for best fat, sodium, and cholesterol choices. However, it should get points for being low carb and high protein (making it friendly for followers of the Atkins’ Diet).

Now let’s look at a couple of other fast foods:

I’d argue that the KFC Crispy Twister w/Crispy Strip is less healthy as it’s essentially replacing the protein with carbs and tacking on more calories. McDonald’s Triple Thick Milkshake isn’t much better considering that it’s just the medium size (there’s a 32oz one with a whopping 1150 calories) and it is just a drink, not a meal. Here you are sacrificing fat and protein for carbs. You save a lot of sodium and cholesterol, but if you are ordering one these you may be likely to ruin those savings with an order of McDonalds fries.

The way I see it, there is some redeeming health value to the Double Downs, especially the grilled one. I think the press is guilty of a knee-jerk reaction to a new concept that they didn’t fully understand.

While this site focuses on health, it’s also import to keep three additional factors in mind: taste, convenience, and cost. In the interest of providing a complete review, I went for a taste test. I figured that most people would opt for the fried version as it would appeal to their taste buds, so that’s what I went with too. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t knock my socks off either. I think I set my expectations too high. Also the chicken to bacon ratio was overwhelmingly tilted towards the chicken side. My suggestion is that they pound the chicken breasts a little flatter and add another slice of bacon.

In general fast food is pretty convenient – but I realize that KFC isn’t near everyone. My order took about 12 minutes of waiting, but it wasn’t the Double Down’s fault. All the KFC orders at my restaurant were slow on this day… odd because it wasn’t particular busy.

Lastly there’s the cost. At $4.95, it’s more expensive than many fast food sandwich options. For just about the same money, you could get a McDouble every day of the work week. I’m not recommending that, but simply pointing out that fast food prices are competitive and the Double Downs aren’t competing well.

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However, that’s not the point. The important question is whether you are just staying still or whether you are gaining? For far too long, I’ve just been staying still. I haven’t been pushing myself for gains.

Part of the reason why I’m not pushing myself for gains, is that I’m Lazy. I haven’t been putting in the work. I have to start changing that… However if I fail, at the very least, I can eat right for the day. This last Thursday, I didn’t get a chance to get a full workout in… I was too busy trying to write, making airport trips for my wife, and other stuff. So when it came for dinner, I looked to throw a couple of pieces of boneless skinless chicken with a little BBQ sauce on the Foreman Grill. I grabbed myself some V8 Fusion Acai Berry, tossed it into a blender with 5 oz. of red wine (Two-Buck Chuck Shaws from Trader Joe’s) and some frozen berries (also from Trader Joe’s). In hindsight, I probably could have added some vanilla whey protein. Nonetheless, it took me only about 90 seconds – including clean-up. I added a little dark chocolate for desert (goes great with my speedy sangria).

I had a nice high-protein, high-antioxidant meal. I could probably add more veggies, though the V8-Fusion has some. It’s not a perfect meal. However, I felt like I had done as much to get healthy as going to the gym… and I could do it the Lazy way. It’s not good to substitute eating for exercise all the time, but when it’s necessary, it’s better than nothing. For that day, eating well “was my gain.”

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Guide to Hypothermia

All of you ice-fishers, skiers, and snow-mobilers out there, listen up: if you’re going to be enjoying your favorite winter sports as much as possible, it will help to learn about the possible risks and dangers to the wintry outdoors. Having more knowledge will only help you feel more confident, relaxed, and prepared when you finally head out into the cold.

One fundamental aspect of knowing the risks of being out in the cold is knowing about hypothermia. Hypothermia, simply put, is the condition your body enters when it loses too much heat to your environment and can’t replace the heat. Here are some much-needed facts to keep in mind:

First, know your stages. There are three stages to hypothermia, and being aware of the symptoms will help you know when it’s time to head back inside.

• Stage 1 – Your body drops a degree or two Celsius below its normal temperature. You’ll notice Stage 1 when you start shivering and your hands, numb, won’t be able to perform the tasks they normally would. Your blood vessels are starting to constrict, limiting the use of your extremities, and goose bumps might form.
• Stage 2 – You’ll know when you’re entering Stage 2 because of a “warming” feeling (as if you’re warming back up but are still in the cold) and cannot touch your thumb to your little finger. In Stage 2, your body temperature has dropped 2-4 degrees Celsius from your normal temperature and your extremities might start turning blue.
• Stage 3 – If you haven’t gotten inside at the first signs of Stage 1, your body will be less able to move you around. Someone in Stage 3 Hypothermia is now at their limits, and more of their body might turn blue as cellular functions shut down, eventually leading to organ failure.

Hypothermia is not a pretty thing, but being educated about the changes your body goes through will help you to keep “warm” strategies when you’re outdoors. Always be on the lookout for signs of Stage 1, and once you experience them, find warm shelter immediately. This is one reason you’ll want to stay close to the indoors as much as possible – the deeper you go into Hypothermia, the less you’ll be able to move yourself.

Don’t let the fear of Hypothermia ruin your fun. Just know the symptoms so that you can make adjustments, keep yourself warmer, and make sure not to stray far from a source of heat that will warm your entire body – like a heated building. If you can stay warm enough to avoid shivering and not experience any numbness in your fingers in toes, you should feel free to enjoy the winter.

Photo Credit: ap.

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So while I’ve been sitting on the couch, I’ve been thinking about how handy it is to have this sick bag beside me. It’s small purse-like thing, about 5″x7″ and 1″ deep. We usually use it to bring on vacation, so we know we don’t have to pay full price for just a couple of pills.

So what’s in my sick bag? Glad you asked… (Of course, I buy the generics of everything, because it’s cheaper, but I’ll include the most recognizable brand name.)

• Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) – 24 pills takes up almost no space. And unlike phenylephrine it actually works.
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) – Good for allergies, runny noses, and falling asleep. This a staple for whenever I travel.
• Ibuprofen (Motrin) – Good all around pain killer, good for muscles.
• Loratadine (Claritin) – I’m really allergic to cats. With this in my system, I can play with cats all day. It’s different than the Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) because I can actually stay awake to play with them.
• Simethicone (Gas-X) – Gas isn’t much fun. This will help take care of that.
• Ranitidine (Zantac) – Reduce the acid in your stomach with this.
• Calcium Carbonate (Tums) – Surprisingly pairs well with Ranitidine above. It works almost instantly. Plus extra calcium – what’s gotta be wrong with that?!?!
• Loperamide (Imodium) – Good for those times that things aren’t just coming out right.
• Docusate Sodium (Colace) – See Loperamide – but just the opposite. Don’t take both and let them fight it out… I imagine it would be fun.
• Lozenges – A good combination of Cepracol and menthol lozenges
• Neosporin – Good for any cuts that arise.
• Bandages – A no-brainer for any kind of sick kit.

That’s about all that I have in my

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Here are the two new foods I’ve fallen for:

• Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame – Weight Loss Journal pointed me to these gems available at Costco (and Amazon obviously). For those not familiar with dry roasted edamame. It’s a high protein, low carb food. It has 70% less fat peanuts and 40% more protein. One serving gives you 14g of protein and only 2g of net carbs (due to the 8g of fiber). In Silicon Valley, you can pick up 29oz (27 servings) at Costco for around $7, making it very recession friendly.
• Fage Greek Yogurt – Greek Yogurt should not be called yogurt. It tastes more like a sour cream. I use it as I would sour cream too… It goes in dips, on nachos, in burritos, and of course in tzatziki sauce. It has no fat, 9 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of protein. That protein is not a mistype. I first found it at Costco for $7 – bring it to about $1.75 for a 120 calorie serving. That’s too pricey for me and I can only see it as a base for mixing with other cheaper, but still healthy ingredients (mixed berries and Kashi GoLean Crunch?). However, I found that Trader Joe’s has their own brand of Greek Yogurt. I can’t tell the difference in taste, but my wife says it’s slightly more tart, but still much better than regular yogurt. The Trader Joe’s version is $2.79 for half the Costco size (or $1.40 per serving). It has 2 more grams of protein bringing it up to 22 grams. More protein for less money, that makes it a decent value. I just wish I could buy it in more bulk from Trader Joe’s and get a larger discount. Maybe I can cut a deal with the store manager. I’ve heard that works in rare cases.

A year ago, I didn’t know these two foods existed. Now I’m plotting how to chop up the edamame and add it to the greek yogurt to make a superfood.

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• How To Be Successful in the New Year (20 Tips Inside)
• Make a New Year’s Resolution for SMARTER Goals This Year

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I’m trying to motivate myself to do my own workout on Mondays, but as of now I always seem to have a pile of writing to do. I’m sure it’s just a matter of re-prioritizing things. Even if that doesn’t work I’m in the best shape I’ve been in since I tried the 100 Pushup Challenge. Maybe I should give that another go in a few weeks to compare my strength from then until now.

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That is not to say that there are not medications or medical problems that do lead to weight gain. That is another problem entirely. For this article, I’m focusing rather on the mindset that weight gain is inevitable at certain stages of our lives. Once you get past this mindset it is much easier to start developing a solution and when you have a heads up about the potential to gain weight, you will have all the tools you need to avoid it.

Why not start with the freshman 15? It is quite common for students to put on weight once they leave home and have to make their own food choices. Many students are suddenly presented with numerous fast food options at the cafeteria and when they are pressed for time or stressed it is all too easy to make a bad food decision. Instead of reaching for that piece of pizza, it is important to recognize this behavior and take steps prevent it. While much of this is dependent on the emphasis that is placed on healthy food at home, students can make their own choices once they realize the damage they can do to their health by eating the wrong kinds of food.

Menopause is another major problem for women and in some cases it is more difficult to avoid gaining weight during this period of your life. However with care and diet adjustment it is possible to avoid gaining weight while you are going through menopause. The key is understanding how many calories your body needs at this point. Many of us do not realize that as we age, our caloric needs decrease. Speak with your doctor about your concerns of menopausal weight gain and determine how many calories you actually do need.

Last up is middle-age spread. If left unchecked, you can easily gain weight during middle-age, especially as you become less active. Once again we are dealing with the fact that our caloric needs change as we age and we may not be getting enough exercise during this stage in our lives. By recognizing those early on you can take steps to prevent middle-age spread and that is a lot easier than trying to fix it once it has occurred.

There is a lot to be said for having a healthy diet plan and exercise plan no matter how old you are. Take the time to listen to your body and learn what it needs. No one needs to be a slave to weight gain, and with proper care and attention it is possible to avoid so-called inevitable weight gain.

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When it came down to it, I realized that the motivation for going to my free gym wasn’t there. The equipment isn’t the best and since it’s always there I don’t go. However, going with my wife is a different story. We’ve got the buddy system working for us. Also, the gym has Body Pump classes which have been fantastic thus far. It’s like having a personal trainer there for me. I wake with more “good soreness” than I’ve had in years of gym workouts on my own.

In the end, the price of $29 a month for a gym in Silicon Valley seems to be worth it. I don’t know if this will transform my stomach into a set of six pack abs, but it seems like a smart move in the right direction – something that I sorely need at this point.

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