WELLTRAX

A Medical Mess--The State of Healthcare - By Diana Harf

CONSIDER THIS: 

• 52% of adults in the United States report being diagnosed with one or more chronic conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.     
• There are nearly 70 million Americans who don’t have health insurance, and many of those who still have it are finding that the insurance companies are limiting  coverage, and increasing co-pays for office visits and deductibles for out-of-pocket expenses before the policy begins picking up the tab.
• According to the Census Bureau over 6 million Americans lost their private health insurance in 2009 alone.  While that was partly offset by an increase in those going on Medicare and Medicaid, the net loss was still over 4 million.
• Hospitals and doctors, meanwhile, are being squeezed by rising costs as well as cutbacks on reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers.
• Unemployment has risen from 5.2% to almost 10% in the last 3 years.
• When people are worried about losing their jobs (or are laid off with COBRA) they accelerate their medical procedures before they lose their health coverage, but that initial demand fades as laid off workers lose their COBRA coverage or similar benefits from their former employers.

             The new health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, attempts to address many of these concerns, but most of its provisions don’t take effect until 2014, so the jury will be out for some time before we know whether it will make a positive difference.

             Clearly, our country is in the middle of a “medical mess.”  Despite incredible advances in diagnostics, treatments and medicines, even those of us with the ability to access health care face an at-best uncertain future of what will be available, how long it will take to get it and how much it will cost.  In fact, the future of health care in the U.S. is so uncertain right now it’s almost enough to make a person want to just  . . . GET WELL!!

           I have written about different motivations to adopt a wellness lifestyle (see the Winter 2009 bodyjournal newsletter), but in light of all these statistics, just staying out of the medical system might be the best motivation yet.

          It’s all very interesting. Do you have an opinion on healthcare reform?  More importantly, do you have a plan for your wellness going forward?  Send your comments and feel free to contact me @ [email protected]

WORK OUT RELIGIOUSLY--WHY? By Diana Harf

“The things which the child loves remain in the domain of the heart until old age. The most beautiful thing in life is that our soul remains over those places where we once authentically enjoyed ourselves.”
                                                                            Kahlil Gibran


Are you enjoying your workouts?  If not, try asking yourself these questions:  What activities are you drawn to naturally? What is it that makes your brain forget your worries and makes your heart sing?  What’s your definition of “happy hour?”
    
It is important to give some real consideration to what you like.  Are you spiritually refreshed by an early morning kayak session, or are you challenged by hills and the speed encountered while cycling?  Are you calmed by a walk in the park or do you enjoy the social time after your Silver Stretch class?  Are you fulfilled by an early evening run?

Do you enjoy activities that involve a mental challenge or do you prefer not to concentrate while being physically active?  Do you enjoy time to yourself or with others?  Do you enjoy competition with others, or yourself, or not at all?  

Many times I will meet with a prospective client and they will confide in me that they “do exercise . . . but hate every minute of it,” or they talk about the “excruciating time spent on the treadmill, etc.”  I struggle to understand why some people choose to exchange precious hours of each day for an activity that brings no pleasure.

There are so many options for physical activities that I challenge you to explore what those might be for you.  Sometimes activity is so much more fun when you are not concerned with heart rates or with aerobic thresholds.  Ingrid Bacci, Ph.D. suggests in “The Art of Effortless Living” that exhilaration in activity comes from feeling your body in space and feeling the elements:  the wind, the water, the earth.

If any of this resonates with you, try these things:  1) Change up your activity during the week.  2)  Add music to your cycling or treadmill sessions.    3) Meet with a group to walk or run, or partner up on a walk with your teenager to share precious time and conversation. 4)  Join a foundation that sponsors a walk, run or bike, and get in shape and be part of a fundraiser at the same time.  5)  Be brave and try something new—get a Hula Hoop, go rollerblading or climb on the monkey bars!  6) Track your results if that will motivate you.

So the bottom line is—why would you work out religiously? Because it could be a good thing and you might actually enjoy it!  If it makes you smile . . . it’s good. If it changes your lifestyle . . . it’s good. If it serves others and serves you . . . it’s good.  And if in the course of enjoying each workout you tighten a notch in your belt or shrink your pant size, then of course . . . it’s REALLY good!

My name is Diana and I’m a personal trainer.  I would love to help you figure out how to enjoy your workouts or teach you something new.  Contact me at [email protected].