Peggy's Musings

The Numbers that Really Matter

I don’t know about clothes for men, but shopping for women’s clothes has become a guessing-game when it comes to knowing what size you wear. I used to know my size, but a recent shopping trip turned out to be quite confusing. Clothes-shopping is something I rarely do anymore. It’s not that I don’t buy any clothes, but it’s usually only when I happen to see some bargain that I can’t pass up. Since I don’t do the kind of traveling (or attend the kinds of “dress-up” events of the past), I believe my “good clothes” may last me the rest of my life.

However, with a rare business trip coming up in a couple of months, I found that I needed a few items to cover the days I’d be gone. So I went shopping. It was not nearly as simple as I remember from the past. First of all, most of the clothes on display were far more appropriate for my daughter or granddaughters. And when I did find stuff that seemed appropriate for me, it was VERY expensive. (Somehow the more traditional-style women’s clothing seems to be higher priced than the more modern styles.)

Anyway, as I reached the very back of a women’s section at a large department store, I saw one small rack of very nice slacks and jackets with a sign that said “SALE! Originally $200 to $300. Now Only $19.94.” Like most women, I loved the idea of getting such a bargain, so I quickly looked through the rack to see if there was something that would work for me.

I was hoping to find a really nice pair of slacks in white or beige – and sure enough, there on the rack was a beautiful pair of silk-lined white linen slacks. I checked the size to see if they might happen to be the right size for me. I was disappointed to see that they were a couple of sizes smaller than I usually wear – plus they were Petite. Naturally, I assumed they would be too small and probably too short. But I decided to try them on anyway.

To my surprise, not only were they not too small or too short. They were actually too large and too long. I was shocked, but as I checked other items on the rack, I found that ALL the sizing labels reflected sizes that only exist “in your dreams.” Each item was labeled as being at least 2 sizes smaller than the ‘real’ size.

The more I thought about it, the more I became aware that this must reflect the fact that these clothes were originally expensive – and were sized to make the buyer feel they were a smaller size than they really were. This helps explain why I keep hearing so much about celebrities wearing sizes 2 or 4 – or even 0. The more expensive the item, the more discrepancy between the actual size and the size on the label.

I found that items almost identical in actual size varied widely in labeled size – based solely on their cost. This explains my wonderment at hearing celebrities who talk about wearing very small sizes – that are in no way reflected in the way they appear. So if the person looks like they’re bigger than whatever size they say they wear, you can probably chalk it up to the price they paid for the item – and not necessarily a reflection of their real size. So this is just a little caution against the tendency to feel bad about ourselves when we compare our “size” with that of people who spend a lot more money on their clothes.

The far more important point about our size is NOT the numbers that reflect our clothing size - or even our weight. It’s the numbers that tell us about our blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, etc. So while clothing sizes can be quite inaccurate, it’s critical that we get accurate information about what’s happening inside our bodies – and that we do everything possible to make those numbers the best they can be.

I’m scheduled for my annual physical exam next month – and plan to get a mammogram and blood tests prior to the physical. I get all my tests done BEFORE my physical so I can get the results at the time of my appointment. This is a plan I strongly recommend to everyone. First of all, DO make an appointment for an annual physical. And be sure to get your lab work done ahead of time so your doctor will have the results at the time of your visit. Then when go in for your appointment, specifically ask the doctor to review your numbers with you - and provide you with a printed copy to take home.

Being informed is essential for taking responsibility in doing what you need to do to maintain your health. And by keeping these records over time, you can compare and see how you’re doing – whether you’re making improvements in your health or moving backwards. So when you begin focusing too much on your size, stop and remember that these “inside you body” numbers are the ones that really matter.

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NOTE: If you enjoy these blog posts, please check out the list of 107 similar 'musings' (and read 8 of them) included in my book Musings on Life.

Born to Run

As I’ve mentioned in the past, one of my granddaughters is a runner. She excels at both cross-country and track. So I’ve been watching a lot of running over the past few years – which has led me to have an increased interest in all things related to running.

This interest led to my reading a fascinating book titled “Born to Run” that makes the case for how we humans (like most animals) are literally born to run long distances. In fact, it was essential that early humans be able to run like this in order to last long enough to finally catch an exhausted prey. Humans couldn’t run as fast as most of their prey (and they didn’t initially have tools with which to bring them down), so they needed to outlast them by being able to run longer.

The only known group of people who still run for extremely long distances (hundreds of miles at a time) are a mysterious group in Mexico known as “Tarahumara.” However, their real name is Raramuri – which means “the running people.” Not only do they run extreme marathons, but they do it for the sheer enjoyment of running – and they do it barefoot!

Christopher McDougall, the author of “Born to Run,” makes the case that running steadily for hours at a time is not only therapeutic but also natural. Today we still have the physical capability to run for long distances, but we have adopted many habits and ways of life that make it impossible to act on our natural running ability. He studied these people and arrived at some ways for us to understand why we’ve lost our ability to run and what we can do about it.

For instance, our efforts to enhance our ability to run (by using the most advanced running shoes) have actually been inhibiting our natural ability to run. In fact, these modern shoes are suspected of being a common cause of athletic injury. While it’s unlikely we’ll go back to being able to run barefoot (partly because our envirnment is made up of so much concrete and is quite different from running in the open plains), we CAN learn to run longer distances with more comfort.

Frankly, at my age, I have no desire to run, but I do walk about an hour a day and feel much better due to finally adopting this habit. But, of course, if there’s a way to make the walking experience better, I’m interested in trying it. This led me to purchase a pair of walking shoes that are patterned on the idea of the barefoot runners. In fact, these shoes are based on what’s called “Masai Barefoot Technology."

They’re designed to simulate walking in sand, and claim to bring relief of muscular tension, joint problems, back problems, leg and feet problems. They have a curved sole so your heel does not pound into the ground first and other very unique aspects. And they do feel entirely different from regular shoes. I’ve only had them a short while, but so far am extremely pleased with the ‘spring’ they seem to put in my step.

The shoes are called “Shape-ups.” If you want to take a look, see: Skechers.
The book is available on Amazon.com. If you want more info, see: Born to Run.

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NOTE: If you enjoy these blog posts, please check out the list of 107 similar 'musings' (and read 8 of them) included in my book Musings on Life.

Eat Real Food

A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with a couple of digestive problems that have caused me to be much more vigilant about what I eat than in the past. Like most people, my eating has varied through the years. Being raised in the Deep South, I grew up on fried chicken, chicken-fried stead, pork chops – as well as on lots and lots of vegetables. So I got some of the best and some of the worst of the kind of diet that can make a difference.

(To illustrate part of the really bad aspects of the diet of my childhood, it wasn’t until I was 7 years old and eating breakfast at a friend’s house after spending the night that I learned that not everyone put sugar on their toast. Prior to this point, I had never had toast that didn’t have sugar sprinkled on top.)

After becoming an adult and broadening my experience in eating a wider variety of foods, I eventually went way beyond my basic beginnings – particularly when I took a gourmet French cooking class and spent about 6 months cooking nothing but French food. Not surprisingly, I burned out on that and didn’t continue it.

Later, when I had teenagers, we went through a hectic period when we often ate ‘frozen TV dinners.’ As the opportunities for ‘fast and easy’ food expanded, we got into the habit of eating a lot of ‘prepared food.’ While that has moderated some in recent years, it’s still tempting to fall back on the ‘quick meal.’

But now, with my eating problems (two different ones that call for contradictory ways of eating), I’m at a loss as to just WHAT to eat. Actually, I’m pretty knowledgeable about nutrition. I once took a nutrition class and have done a lot of reading about nutrition through the years. I’ve even found a few books that are helpful with my current issues - and my doctor is referring me to a dietician to help figure out the best eating plan. So there’s hope that things will improve.

However, aside from my particular eating issues, the general population also needs to pay a lot more attention to eating in a healthier way. The statistics on obesity and type 2 Diabetes alone are frightening, especially when projected into the future based on current trends among today’s children.

My general concern about the American diet became even greater when I recently watched the documentary, “Food, Inc.” If you haven’t seen it, I strongly recommend that you do so. In fact, you don’t have to take my word for it. There are 315 reviews of the DVD on Amazon.com - with 267 of them giving it a 5-star rating and 32 giving it a 4-star rating. This DVD is being sold at a reduced price of only $9.95. To read a description, a long Q&A, and the reviews, see: Food, Inc.

After seeing the documentary film, I also read a book by one of the people narrating the film: food expert Michael Pollan. It’s called “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual.” This little book provides the clearest, most straightforward guidance for smart eating that I’ve ever seen. Like most people, I’ve read all kinds of diet books, but this is NOT a diet book. It’s a smart eating book. Do take a look for yourself. It’s only $5 from Amazon.com. See: Food Rules.

Finally, to give you a ‘taste’ of what you’ll find in the book, here are a few of its very basic suggestions:
--Eat real food - not food products.
--Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.
--Avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients.
--Avoid food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup or list sugar among the top three ingredients.
--Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.

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NOTE: If you enjoy these blog posts, please check out the list of 107 similar 'musings' (and read 8 of them) included in my book Musings on Life.

Better Health with Dr. Oz

If you haven’t seen the Dr. Oz Show on TV, I strongly urge you to do so. He’s been referred to as ‘the wizard of Oz’ – partly because he so accurately reflects one of the definitions of a wizard: “a person with great skill in an activity.” His ‘activity’ is explaining everything about the functioning of the human body.

Although he’s a heart surgeon, he seems to be a walking encyclopedia about every aspect of the body and how it works. His expertise is especially wonderful because of his amazing skills at DELIVERING the information. He uses common terms and references that are not couched in medial jargon but are easily understood.

His wisdom has been available for quite some time through the more than a dozen books he has co-authored (including a series of ‘You’ books like “YOU: The Owners Manual”) – as well as his multiple appearances on the Oprah Show. But having his own show makes all the difference in being able to fully benefit from his extraordinary ability to educate us about our bodies.

In the short time his show has been on the air (just a couple of months at this point), he’s already had a huge impact on many people – both show participants and viewers at home. One of the reasons he’s having such an impact is that the help he offers is clearly coming from the heart. For many years, I have been quite cyncical about most of the ‘self-help' offered on TV – because so much of it has been exploitive. But the special caring and compassion that comes through on the Dr. Oz Show is something completely different.

The high standards were beautifully articulated by one of the guests (“Rocco” the cowboy). After completing his 28-day challenge to improve his dangerous health conditions, he returned to report on what he did and how he did it. In the course of his report, he offered the following assessment of the process, saying the following to Dr. Oz:

“You guys do a great job. Everybody here… This is not a TV show. And I’m serious about this. The reason I lost the weight is not because I was on a TV show. Everybody from the first person who called me about this show, to Dr. Oz through Dr. Roizen, all the producers, everybody. This is…I tell everybody I’m moving to the land of Oz. It’s a place to go, and that’s the reason I lost the weight. It wasn’t me. I didn’t want to fail you. I didn’t want to fail Dr. Roizen.”

I have no connection to the show in any way, but I feel very connected to their attitude of ‘helping people help themselves.’ So I encourage you to check out the TV Show and to visit Dr. Oz’s website. And you can find a list of his books on Amazon.com.

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NOTE: If you enjoy these blog posts, please check out the list of 107 similar 'musings' (and read 8 of them) included in my book Musings on Life.

Me and my Shadow

The other day I was walking with the sun at my back and a very clear reflection of my shadow in front of me. Despite the sad lyrics of the old song “Me and my Shadow - all alone and feeling blue,” I did NOT feel ‘alone’ or ‘blue.’ In a strange way, I find that seeing my shadow moving along with my body is kind of comforting – partly because I so clearly recognize it as “me.”

It’s nice to feel that I could see that shadow anywhere (even in a book or video) – and recognize it as mine. Another reason I like it is that this reflection of me looks better than the real me. It doesn’t show the wrinkles or any of the normal blemishes that come with age. But the biggest reason I like it is that it has been so constant through the years. Although I’ve gained and lost about 20 pounds several times along the way, the changes have not been particularly noticeable and the overall outline has remained generally the same.

The main reason I find such satisfaction in the familiarity of my shadow is that it represents the results of years of trying to take care of my weight and my overall health. My motivation was due to the lesson I learned in watching my mother (who began her adult life as a 120-pound young woman) gradually gaining more weight each year of her life, weighing 270 pounds at the time of her death at age 71. The weight gain led to Type 2 diabetes, which then led to terrible side effects, including blindness, ending with her death with gangrene.

Now at the age of 73, I’m even more committed to maintaining my health and my weight, since the two are closely connected. Also, the whole issue of weight has become a far more prevalent problem than in the past. I clearly recall a time when very few people weighed as much as my mother did through much of her life. But today, we routinely see many people who are significantly overweight – and as a consequence, more and more people are developing Type 2 diabetes and other weight-related medical problems.

I do understand from watching my mother’s struggles with weight that it’s hard to reverse the weight-gain trend. But we have so much more information today than in the past. We now understand that dieting alone doesn’t work. In fact, actual “dieting” (with the almost inevitable regaining of the weight) should not be the goal. Rather, it needs to be changing our eating style to one that can be sustained for the rest of our lives.

Also, while we’ve known that exercise was an important aspect of weight control, the greater emphasis has been on diet than on exercise. But the greatest advances in our understanding about weight loss have been on the exercise front. For instance, there is now a lot more clarity about the importance of exercise (the “calories out” part of the equation) than just on dieting (the “calories in” part).

And even more important, we now understand that the recommended 30 minutes of exercise per day need not be done all at one time. It can be broken down into three 10-minute time periods. This goes a long way toward making it more doable for so many busy people. Also, I recently learned that simply ‘moving more often’ (frequently getting up and moving around) leads to great benefit - by revving up the metabolism enough to continue to provide some benefit after sitting down again.

It’s a cliché to say that “it’s the little things” that count – but when it comes to health and fitness, it’s true that every little thing makes a difference. Everything you do or don’t eat and every time you do or don’t move around all add up to contribute to the shadow you produce out in the sunshine.

Since your shadow just shows your outline, it doesn’t show changes as drastically as looking in a mirror. So rather than looking in the mirror to check out how you look, it’s less distracting and provides more useable information to simply observe your shadow. Does it ‘look like you?’ Would you recongize it as being yours in a line-up? If you can’t identify with the reflection of yourself in your shadow, I encourage you to begin taking steps (with both diet and exercise) that will help bring your shadow back in line with the image of yourself that you carry in your head from some point in your life when you saw your shadow as being more representative of “you.”

TIP: There are many excellent sources of information about health and weight today. But one of the best is the new TV show “Dr. Oz” which airs daily, Monday through Friday, and covers just about ‘everything you wanted to know about your body, your weight, and your overall health.’ In fact, I was motivated to write this particular piece because of his closing statement each day, asking everyone watching to tell just one other person. So I decided to tell a lot of people, in the hope that it will provide the encouragement we all need to live longer, healthier lives.

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NOTE: If you enjoy these blog posts, please check out the list of 107 similar 'musings' (and read 8 of them) included in my book Musings on Life.