I was hoping to get another chance at it, and soon after I was asked to teach the lesson for Homemaking Night, back in the day when they still called it that. The topic? Fitness and Nutrition. Really? You want the large couch potato to teach the Fitness and Nutrition lesson? I can understand my qualifications for teaching about abortion because I'm opposed to it and I've never had one. But Fitness and Nutrition? Seriously? To have me teach a lesson on fitness and nutrition is like asking Dr. Kevorkian (Google him, young 'uns) to teach CPR to the elderly. Obviously they were going with the concept that "the teacher learns more than the student" when preparing the lesson. Maybe they were subtly suggesting that I needed to lose weight and that the research I would do for the lesson would inspire me.
The problem with that then, and now, is there is too much information out there on the topic and most of it is conflicting: eggs are bad because of the cholesterol. Wait - eggs are a good source of protein. Meat is bad so be a vegetarian. Wait - meat is a good source of protein and iron and it's hard to get those things if you're a vegetarian. Milk has calcium and vitamins and is good for you. Wait - milk contains growth hormones and is bad for you. I could go on like this for a long time, but I think you get the point.
The same can be said about exercise. Running is said to be good for cardiovascular health, but then Jim Fixx, the man who most recently popularized the sport of running, died at the age of 52 of a heart attack after running. My son ran in the Olympic marathon trials (obviously his gift did not come from me). One of the top elite runners in that race died shortly after the race started. Just yesterday I was talking to someone about swimming for exercise and they shot me down saying swimming isn't good exercise because it doesn't get your heart rate up high enough to do any good. URGH (there is a much stronger word I would like to use in the place of "urgh" but I'm trying to keep this a relatively family-friendly blog)!
So this is what I came up with for my lesson, and I had samples of all them on hand:
The Food Groups
by Princess of Whales
Meat/Protein
Pork Rinds
Cinnamon Bears
Almond Joy
Animal Crackers
Goldfish Crackers
Dairy
Anything Milk Chocolate
Milk Duds
Nutter Butters
Milky Way
Cheesy Cheetos
Fruits
Cherry Chocolates
Orange Sticks
Raspberry Truffles
Apple Fritter
Vegetables
Corn Chips
Potato Chips
Carrot Cake
Onion Rings
Breads/Carbs
ALL Breads & Carbs Are Approved
Basically, I just structured the staples of my personal diet around the guidelines set forth by whatever government agency does that sort of thing (even though I think the government needs to stay out of my diet, illustrated by the fact that they no longer use the food groups, but a food pyramid), and that was the result. The information may not have been the best, but the visual aids were delicious!
The point was to show the extreme opposite of what we instinctively know as healthy and it started a great discussion about all of the different methods and ideology that are out there. As I've said before, what works for one may not work for others and the trick is finding what works for you. Bottom line - running can be good, but not for me.
All of this was before Al Gore invented the Internet and since that time there has been a complete dump of information as to the best way be healthy (most of it involving great expense) so I'm more confused than ever. TMI. All I know is that as old as I am, and as much as I know, there's still so much I have to learn.
But more importantly, I still have so much to DO! I guess I can start by getting off of the computer...for now.
Well I am not sure who told you that about swimming but that is absolutely untrue. That can be said of water aerobics, but if you are swimming laps that is bad information. (2 degrees speaking) Keep up the good work : )
ReplyDeleteAs a fairly recently converted vegetarian, I gotta say it's actually pretty easy to get both iron and protein without meat. I'm always amazed at how many people (even a registered dietician) grill me (no pun intended) on just how I am getting those two things in my diet now that I have no meat. You know what though? When I ate McDonalds value meals, no one ever asked me how I was getting my nutrients. But become a vegetarian and suddenly everyone is concerned and ready to point out how your limited diet is unbalanced or whatever.
ReplyDeleteI became a vegetarian (trying to be vegan as much as possible, but not always succeeding) because I wanted to reverse my Type II Diabetes and stop feeling awful all the freaking time. And you know what? After just a few months, I feel one billion times better, my depression has vanished, and I stopped craving bad-for-me stuff most of the time. (not always-- chips are freaking delicious)
I'm not sharing because I think you should become a vegetarian. ;) Just another person in the midst of the battle to get healthy here. The protein/iron comment just always strikes me as bizarre. I totally agree that it's insane that you hear one thing one week, and the opposite the next. Crazy. In the end it seems we all have to just find what will work for us.
Anyway, keep fighting. Have you watched Forks over Knives? It's good, but don't watch it if you don't want to be a vegetarian... hahahaha. It ruined my life. I mean saved it? (again, not pushing vegetarianism- I never imagined I would become one, even right before it happened.)