Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Guest post: Changes to Your Life to be Healthier


Today's guest post is from Emily Walsh at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. You can read more of Emily's articles at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog and more about mesothelioma on the MCA website.  

I'll be honest, I don't know much about mesothelioma at all, but I think this guest post is applicable to most veterans with health issues, and their families. And I cannot emphasize enough how much diet can contribute to health. Personally, I would also highly suggest yoga nidra - there have been some studies that show it can be helpful for veterans with PTSD and other health issues. You can read more about yoga nidra for veterans on the iRest site and at the Give Back Yoga Foundation. If you're in the D.C. area (or know someone who is), there are yoga nidra classes for veterans at the VA's War Related Illness and Injury Study Center. (Side note, there are no funny/awkward yoga posts involved, it's more like meditation - you lay there with your eyes closed and just listen to the instructor. Yoga nidra is also available on cd/mp3/download and iRest has a special yoga nidra mp3 for those with PTSD, chronic pain, and other health issues.)

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Changes to Your Life to Be Healthier

Veterans need to do their very best when it concerns their health and well-being.
Many veterans do not put a lot of emphasis into their health and this can become
a major problem in the long run. The best thing for you to do if you are dealing with
mesothelioma or another condition is to make small and gradual changes that you
can actually stick to. Making these changes will improve your health and will help
you to feel better each day because of the positive adjustments that you've been
making to your life.

One simple change you can make that creates a big impact on your health is to
exercise more often. It's a fact that most veterans simply do not get enough exercise
each day and begin to have problems that are associated with their health because
of the choices they're making. The best thing for you to do is to simply exercise a
little more than you do now. If you are relatively sedentary right now, the best thing
for you to do is to just walk a little each day or just try some very light weight lifting
that can be done at home. If you would rather be around other active people, you
can join a local gym or even an online workout support group.

Along with exercising more often, you should also put a bit more emphasis into the
way that you eat each day. Many people do not pay much attention to their diet,
but the way they eat can definitely affect their mood and their health. Junk and
processed foods can actually put you in a bad mood and cause negative side effects
concerning your health. This is why you might want to think about simply eating
better foods that are either organic or are lower in calories so that you can avoid
gaining weight and be healthier in the process.

As always, your doctor needs to be made aware of the changes you're making to
your daily schedule. The best way to accomplish this is to visit their office a few
times a year or more depending on your current state of health or any ailments you
have at the moment. There are so many things you can do yourself at home that
can help improve your health and life in general so that you are a more productive
veteran.

--Emily Walsh, Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance

Thursday, January 3, 2013

I can't even...

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/03/opinion/wann-fat-and-fit-study/index.html?fb_action_ids=10200300396413600&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210200300396413600%22%3A387977497956544%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210200300396413600%22%3A%22og.recommends%22%7D&action_ref_map

I just can't.

Articles about this  were bound to be pushed farther than necessary sooner or later.

Most importantly:
"Then there are the fat people who did everything their doctors recommended to lose weight ... and died from dangerous diet drugs, from starvation diets, from mutilating weight-loss surgeries. "

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

I can't even think of a response because my brain is too disgusted by this article. Who knew being fat was healthy and should be accepted? I did not.

//end rant