Archive for the ‘Case Studies’ Category
Beautiful Body but Insecure Sad Eyes
There is this middle age lady who had signed up in the gym longer than I did. She was attending mostly yoga classes and doing light cardio. She never did the weights. Then about 9 months ago, I saw her engaging the services of a personal trainer.
She started exercising very hard- doing intensive cardio and spending lots of time doing weights and core building exercises. Her exercise routine, were rigorous and punishing. Even after her sessions with the personal trainer is over, she could be seen training on her own. There is a glint of steely determination in her eyes.
Well, I don’t know what she is aiming for as she was not overweight- except for some tiny little bulges at ‘problem’ areas such as triceps, tummy and the bums which are common in women. But I would think it is within ‘acceptable social norms’ as she will still look nice in evening dresses.
She worked out very often and still maintain the punishing exercise regime after so many months- she doesn’t really mix around much anymore. As her body got more toned, she started wearing tighter fitting tops and pants. Then recently, she walked past me in a blouse that had a lower cut at the back and I could see that her back muscles are very well developed. I am happy for her. I thought to myself: ‘there goes another success story that working out, regardless of age, can still bring you the body that you want. As long as you work hard, you will reap result.’
It’s all well and good. Then, in the workout today, she was in the same area that I was and I finally noticed the expression on her face and eyes- the eyes did not belong to one of a happy person. They showed me a person who feels insecure and tortured inside. Someone who hates her body and continue to punish it in order to achieve the shape that one wants.
A Cancer Blog & Insights Shared
Early bedtime, early rise. I slept early yesterday and got up about 5.30am today feeling fresh. I wanted to read more on Chi Dynamics and when I googled under “chi dynamics”, I came across a blog started by a Malaysian who was fighting against cancer.
His name is Foo Hee Boon. He was diagnosed with end stage (stage IV) lung cancer in March 2005. He started a blog to document his journey with battling cancer. Sadly, he lost the battle on 4 August 2006. His blog url is http://fhbadventure.blogspot.com/.
How My Friend Dealt with Breast Cancer
May used to be my mentor when I was starting out in the working world. By the time, she had already worked for many years, coming in at entry level and rising to managerial position. She always emphasized on work ethics and how we must do our best. She also shared lots of her own personal experience and given me lots of advise on how to deal with different colleagues, office politics, etc.
Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, undergone treatment and then, passed away when there were secondaries to her lungs (that time she did not complete the prescribed 6 course of chemo treatment). She was such a wonderful person.
Then, few years later, her younger sister Ling also contracted breast cancer. That was a few years ago. Ling took a very different approach compared to what her sister had taken after she recovered from the treatment (operation, chemo and radiotherapy):
- she chose not to go organic like May did.
- but she cut down on processed food- even till this day. This means, only once a few months, she will eat KFC or McDonalds. She also does not take sausages, ham or other type of processed meat
- she ate meat but in reduced amount- she did not become a vegetarian
- she took up exercising- joined the gym, did cardio and weights. Her fitness level is impressive- she was able to maintain a heart rate of about 150+ beats per min.
- she joined Qi Gong- she felt Qi Gong exercises are beneficial as it increases oxygen flow to the body and improves circulation. She also sleep better at night after practicing Qi Gong twice a week (she told me sometimes, she gets lazy to practice at home but she makes it to the classes)
- she learn to take things easy- no longer become too obsessed with work. Her mental and physical health is what matters. She does her best to eliminate all the stressors that goes on in her life
- she devotes herself to God, prays often and goes to church
Inspiring Story of Ernie Nix- from obese principal to marathon runner
The April 2008 of Runners World featured an inspiring story on an obese principal who turned into a fit 48 year old marathon runner. To read the entire story, click HERE.
In the physical magazine, his ‘before’ photo is featured and it is totally different from the ‘after’ photo.
Before:
- Weight= 397 pounds
- Cholesterol= 440
- Blood pressure= 220/110
- On medication for hypertension, high cholesterol and anxiety. He also had to sleep with an oxygen mask supplying 2 litres of oxygen to avoid sleep apnea
Diabetes Type 2- it can be reversed
Diabetes, relatively unknown 100 years ago, is now becoming so common. In 2005, it is estimated that 7% of the American population (20.8 million people) have diabetes. Diabetes used to occur in older adults but now is getting common in teenagers and people in their 20s.
The main cause of it is due to sedentary lifestyle and/or high refined sugar consumption:
- Type 1- lack of insulin. The pancreas cannot produce enough insulin, resulting elevated glucose levels in blood. Those who suffer from type 1 diabetes requires regular insulin injections. At the moment, there is no identified cure if all the beta cells in the pancreas have been destroyed.
- Type 2- insulin insensitivity. A sedentary person who have a uncontrollable sweet tooth is very susceptible to Type 2. What happens is that the person constantly take too much of sugar. This triggers the insulin to try to bring down the blood sugar levels and pushing it to the muscles and organs. After a while, the muscles no longer respond to the insulin and thus does not take in the sugar, causing elevated levels of sugar.
Many people, at least those I know, resigned to the fact that they will have to live with this condition for life.
It does not have to be that way for Type 2.
Do you know that there have been cases of people reversing the diabetes type 2 due to exercise and a change in diet? But please be careful if you are surfing for these stories in the net, because some could be selling certain type of product/ fad diet book that is out in the market without any conclusive/ adequate research. If it is really as effective as it claims, then our local government hospitals will be stocking that in their pharmacies- but these so-called miracle pills or herbs never make it to the local hospital’s pharmacies.
Exercise Program for Seniors- Precautions to Take Prior to Starting A Program
As we age, our muscles, bones and joints grow weaker. If a person stops exercising and becomes sedentary, there are various risks:
- more susceptible towards injuries because of weak muscles that could no longer support the muscoskeletal structure of the body
- degenerative diseases like osteoporosis and arthritis starts and progress at a faster rate
- postural imbalances occurs due to muscle imbalance and changes in bone structure
- and of course, higher risk of chronic diseases associated with lifestyle such as high blood pressure, heart problems, cholesterol, diabetes, etc.
Exercise and proper diet (higher in fibre, less in saturated fat and an overall balanced diet) would help the older population live a life of better quality- mobility, better function and less pain. No one wants to be a burden to others and the sense of independence will let the person enjoy the golden years.
If you are an older adult who intends to start on an exercise program or if you would like to plan an exercise program for your parents, I would strongly recommend that you follow these guidelines:
- do not go straight to an exercise program
- see a physician, get a checkup done to rule out any illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, potential heart problem. This is important because for instance, if someone is suffering from an artery blockage for instance, exercise would aggravate the situation. Then get a clearance from the physician.
- I strongly recommend a occupational therapist be consulted. This is especially if the older adult has obvious postural problems, lower back pain, or pain/injuries on certain parts of the body, immobility of certain parts of the body, conditions like stiff neck/shoulders.
It’s Never Too Old or Too Late
It’s never too old or too late to start eating well and incorporating exercising program in your daily life.
Here, let me share with you stories of real people I know who have made lifestyle changes and benefited from it:
My mom’s friend, Auntie Ong.
Few days ago, I took my mom to visit her friend, who is also a retired nurse. It was a pleasant surprise to see how different she had looked.
Auntie Ong had always been a very hardworking person, both at work and at home. She had never employed any maids, and with a household comprising of her husband and 3 boys, she had kept the double storey house spick and span. As hard as she worked, it’s as hard as she ate. She basically ate whatever she feels like eating. Therefore, she has always been overweight.
When we saw her, she was 11 kg lighter, dropping from 63kg to 52kg in 6 months. Her waistline shrunk from 36inches to 31 inches and a fat layer which used to be noticeable in her neck area, was gone. She shared her lifestyle change: Read the rest of this entry »
