Being healthy goes beyond looking fit

To be honest, I find the task of writing a health column quite daunting. There is so much information out there about healthy living—some of it helpful, some of it not—it’s overwhelming. How do you know what’s real and what’s a trend?

Since my early teens, I’ve been that girl who skims through women’s magazines and watches TV shows like “The Biggest Loser,” taking mental notes all along. Health topics fascinate me. I’ve been vegan, I’ve done the lemonade detox and most recently I stumbled through a two-week, low-carb stint complete with protein shakes and lots of celery. So, what qualifies erratic, imperfect me to talk to you about health and fitness issues?

My first-hand struggles and missteps have given me a lot of insight. I’ve learned that being healthy is a lot simpler than it is made out to be, as long as you use some common sense. If something sounds dumb, like drinking only lemons, cayenne pepper and maple syrup for a week, it probably is—and it’s probably bad for your health. I can look in the mirror and know that after 10 years of neglecting to wear the proper SPF, the sun has started to work fine lines into my forehead. Also, after having been overweight, underweight and everywhere in between, I’ve realized there is a lot more to my health than just a number.

That being said, I do think there are times when being overweight does matter, and that is if it causes expensive health problems, which it often does. However, in today’s world, we are taught to categorize being overweight as a problem itself, when in fact it is always just the easiest-to-measure symptom of an underlying problem. For instance, the problem might be that a person isn’t active enough, has a thyroid disorder, or perhaps both. Or perhaps Americans are so unhealthy because the government is subsidizing school lunches featuring foods like chicken nuggets with fried potato wedges and children are getting hooked on sugar- and fat-laden foods as children. Just to name some possibilities.

I’m a big-picture person. The way I see it, making healthy choices doesn’t just affect you as the individual. Our choices collectively affect all of us, even those who make the right choices. Consider how astronomically high health insurance premiums have become in the last few years. Then consider the Center for Disease Control’s report that obesity rates have risen between 10 to 15 percent across the country from 1991 to 2006. I feel there is a correlation between the two. People make unhealthy choices, gain weight, develop heart problems, need to see doctors, have tests and undergo surgery. These treatments are extremely expensive. Insurers have to pay out more, and then charge more for premiums. Our unhealthy choices even reflect back on our struggling environment. The carbon footprint of a person who drives to work each day is of course much bigger than that of the walker or bike rider.

So what is the big picture? Simply put, if we can prevent illness beforehand and avoid seeking health care, we can save ourselves heaps of money and help sustain our environment at the same time. Of course, we all love money. And the environment would be nice to have as well.

Writing this column will hopefully help to hold me accountable for my life choices too, which makes me pretty excited. Who am I to tell you to put that sunscreen on your face if I “forget” to as well? Treating skin cancer is expensive, after all.

My goal this year is to touch on some important health topics that are relevant to you as college students. Perhaps you are one of the lucky ones and can’t relate to how expensive health care is because it isn’t directly affecting your bank account. Trust me, soon enough, you’ll care.

All right! So our health care system is crippled, epidemics like H1N1 are taking hold, our economy is in shambles and our environment is being used up faster than we can replace it. What if all of these problems were somehow connected, and what if we could each do our part to help put things back together in some small way?

I would love to know about your health questions and concerns as AU students. Please e-mail me if you have ideas of topics I should cover.

Cheers to our health.

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