Some days I think I’m the only person on the planet that has yet to do a study or a survey. I’m not talking about participating in one, but actually creating and compiling the data.
Some seem a bit more credible than others. One I read today came to kind of an oxymoronic (spell check really hates that word) conclusion.
Their claim is that exercise is more important in preventing or controlling diabetes than weight loss. If a person is exercising to the extent that they recommend, one hour per day, and watching their diet at all, they should be losing weight. If they are losing weight and exercising, what event gets to claim credit for the healthier person?
The only way I can see this study gaining any validity is if they only use compensators in their study. In a post a few days ago we discussed a compensator as someone who strikes a balance between exercise calories burned and caloric intake. In this manner they are able to exercise to their heart’s delight without losing (or gaining) any weight. I confessed to being one of them.
So, to come to the conclusion that exercise is more important than weight loss perhaps you really need two groups. Compensators for one focus and dieters for the opposing focus. Dieters would not be allowed to cheat with exercise. Anyway, enough beating up on the “study”.
Bottom line. Whether it is exercise, weight loss, medication or a combination of any of those that brings your diabetes under control, the good news is that controlled diabetes will keep you healthy and living longer and, of course, will provide you with the opportunity to get better than standard rates for your life insurance.
November 5th, 2007
We’ve talked about the effects of stress on health and we’ve even talked about how mild stress channeled effectively can increase productivity. I’ve shared a few times what a huge relief a vacation is to the overall stress of especially work life.
Study after study has shown that Americans are working harder and vacationing less. With the techno world we have, it is a common sight to see people “on vacation” working their tails off while sitting in some obscenely restful place like Belize. I admit that I have tried to work while on vacation. I start out with good, or wrong, intentions of working while I am gone. This is mainly due to some pumped up feeling of self importance that has me believing that if I don’t keep blogging the life blood into our business, it will simply disappear and I will come back and have to start from zero again.
I read that most Americans are working so hard that they don’t even use the vacation time they have earned. We need to get a grip! Vacations are as necessary as anything we do for our health. From eating correctly to exercise, ignoring the “taking care of ourselves” part will come back to bite us and instead of spending 10 days on a tropical beach, we may find ourselves spending that time recovering from a heart attack.
Vacation is the chicken soup for the working soul. I know when I started my business that one of my major concerns was that I wouldn’t be able to take time off to rejuvenate from the long hours I was working. Realistically I know that most small business owners and especially sole proprietorships have that same concern. I won’t pretend to know how it will work in your business, but there are at least 100 different ways to structure your business to make the time off possible. If you can’t see any, write and let me help. It’s not my job, but it would certainly be my pleasure to help a fellow businessman figure out how to walk away for a week without worrying.
Bottom line. While insurance applications don’t ask about your vacation habits, the effects of not taking a vacation will show up somewhere. High blood pressure is a very common effect of not taking care of yourself. Stress can lead to depression or anxiety disorders. Do yourself a favor and use every day of vacation that is coming to you. If you’re self employed, take every day of vacation you need. Start small. Take a week. Make it your goal to vacation twice a year for a week. Then make it a goal to vacation twice a year for 10 days. You need it.
November 5th, 2007
