Summer Time in the City

Being Well

The New York Times recently published a special section, titled “A Guided Tour of Your Body.” It is full of very good and practical information on how to keep your body healthy, and well for many years to come. I am recommending it to all of my subscribers and anyone else interested in taking care of their bodies, and minds as they age.

Go to: www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/05/13/health/20080513_WELLGUIDE.html

The President's Challenge

WASHINGTON (AP) -- If you didn't get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award in school, the government is giving you another chance to prove you're in shape.


An adult fitness test is being introduced Wednesday by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. It will incorporate several of the exercises that millions of students undertake each year as they aim for a certificate signed by the president.

"What were trying to do is inspire and motivate Americans to move their bodies more," said Melissa Johnson, executive director of the council.

The test involves three basic components: aerobic fitness, muscular strength and flexibility. The test is for people 18 and older who are in good health. It was inspired by scores of baby boomers who kept asking council members whether there was a fitness test available today that was similar to the ones they took as students, Johnson said.

The aerobic component of the tests consists of a one-mile walk or 1.5-mile run. The run is not recommended for those who don't run for at least 20 minutes, three times a week.

Push-ups and half sit-ups make up the strength test. The push-ups are done until failure. The sit-ups are done for one minute.

A stretching exercise called the "sit-and-reach" is used to measure flexibility.

The scores from all four of the fitness tests can be entered online. Other information, such as age, gender, height and weight are also part of the equation.

You won't get a presidential certificate, but the results will then show where you rank among people of the same age. For example, if someone scores in the 75th percentile for push-ups, that means 75 percent of the scores fall below your score.

The fitness test incorporates height and weight to give participants their body mass index. Generally, a BMI score above 25 equates to being overweight. However, for people who do exercise a lot, the BMI score can be high because of their extra muscle mass, not because they have too much fat.

The test will allow people to easily record a baseline that they can work from through their exercise routine.

"The point is to do consistent, regular physical activity and these are good check-in points to see how fit people are," Johnson said.

To take the test go to: www.adultfitnesstest.org

Student educates himself, loses 180 pounds

By Jackie Adams
CNN

Gathering together for old-fashioned, home-cooked meals was just a way of life for Brandon Hollas, who was raised on his family's farm in Cameron, Texas.

Eating healthy and portion control didn't often make its way into conversations at their dinner table. But Hollas, 25, does remember eating a lot of food.

"Along with great home cooking ... I could drink a six-pack of Dr Pepper," said Hollas. "I would eat snack cakes and for lunch at school, we were allowed to make lunches of Doritos Chili Cheese nachos from the snack bar accompanied with some awesome Grandma's Cookies."

Though he helped with farm work, Brandon's poor eating habits combined with a relatively sedentary lifestyle of homework and video games -- his weight prevented him from taking part in school sports.

"Throughout elementary school I tried playing summer league baseball and basketball," said Hollas. "But [I] was never good because of my weight, which depressed me even more."

Instead, Hollas joined Texas 4-H and other student organizations. Though the activities kept him busy, he said they didn't help him burn the calories he was consuming daily.
By the time he was a freshman in college, he weighed 380 pounds.

"I can remember lying in my dorm room at Texas A&M ... with my large stomach weighing me down in bed," Hollas remembered. "I told myself, 'I have to change and I have to do it now or it won't ever happen.' "

Around the same time, he had another wake-up call. His 11-year-old cousin was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and his grandmother was diagnosed with Type 2, or adult onset diabetes. Their diagnoses combined with a family history of obesity to convince Hollas he had to make a change.

That very same day in 2001, he took the first step toward weight loss by eliminating soft drinks from his diet.

Hollas also joined the recreation center on campus and started riding an exercise bicycle. He lost 50 pounds within six months. The weight loss motivated him to begin learning about health and fitness at the school's library and in men's health magazines.

"I wasn't educated about how to eat right or how to lose weight," Hollas recalled. "I read all about nutrition, how to change meals to make them [healthier]."

He also started eating more lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, fiber and good carbohydrates.

The new diet and fitness regimen transformed his body and gave him the courage to start dating.

Four years later, Hollas had lost 180 pounds -- nearly half of his former weight. His weight now fluctuates around 210 pounds.

Today, weight training has helped him increase his muscle mass and he maintains his weight through a balanced diet and exercise five days a week. However, Hollas said he allows himself an occasional splurge and even meets friends out once a week for "Taco Tuesday."

"You can go out to eat with friends but just make smarter [healthier] choices," said Hollas.

Happier and healthier than ever, Hollas will graduate this month with a master's degree in agriculture economics from Purdue and hopes to land a job in the food industry and marketing.

He's also focused on staying lean and building muscle for perhaps the biggest day of his life -- when he and his college sweetheart tie the knot May 31.

"I have learned that there are no fast, easy ways out of being heavy," said Hollas. "But [with] a lot of simple changes and commitments, it is a rather easy thing to do."

"I know that I don't ever see myself ... getting to that weight again."