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Laura Hillier
July 27, 2003
Thank you for coming this morning. As we start this morning, think
about whether there is anything causing you some stress or anxiety
this morning. Maybe today’s topic? Or were you running a little late
this morning? Did someone do something that aggravated you before
you arrived? Maybe someone cut you off as you drove here?
Maybe you are one of the few who feels completely calm and relaxed
this morning, nothing is bothering you. Focus on that good energy
and mentally share that energy for the people around you to absorb.
Meditation
Take a nice, slow deep breath. Close your eyes if you like.
Exhale slowly, letting the air out of your lungs.
Place your hands on you thighs, palms up.
Take another slow, steady breath & inhale deeply into your lungs.
Imagine your breath coming through your palms – feel that positive
energy entering your body.
Slowly release your breath, letting out through your palms.
Just continue this slow, deep breathing.
Take notice of how your body feels. Do you feel tension or pain in
any place?
Maybe it’s in your shoulders, your back, or your neck? Maybe it’s a
thought nagging in your mind.
Focus your energy on that place and imagine your breath going there.
Let your breath help to relax it or release the discomfort.
As you continue to breathe through your palms, stay aware of your
body. Channel your breath to any spot that needs it.
Just keep breathing for a few moments.
SERMON:
It’s nice to see so many people here this morning. I was a little
worried that today’s topic might make some people uncomfortable
enough to keep them away this morning. The pressure & guilt we can
experience around weight and eating can be very powerful – powerful
enough to make us want to eat to relieve the stress. The information
and ideas I discuss may not be new to you, but hopefully they will a
reminder or will motivate you to make a change.
The one thing I want to avoid is making anyone feel badly about
themselves. Weight is a complicated and very common issue, yet it
seems to be one of the few acceptable discrimination remaining in
our culture. As a health educator, it’s the quality of someone’s
life is what is most important to me – especially feeling good about
oneself. If health professionals push so hard to get people to lose
weight and end up making those very people feel bad about themselves
in the process, we’ve missed the point. In fact, the term “obese” is
no longer used when discussing children’s weight. Only the term now
is simply “overweight”. People are beautiful, valuable and important
regardless of their size or their shape, no matter what the
commercials, magazines and models want us to believe.
I work at the Charles County Health Department as the Director of
Health Promotion, so I’m concerned with promoting changes to enhance
people’s health in the community, whether it be changing your eating
habits, quitting smoking or any other change in lifestyle.
Let me tell you about my friend Teresa, who used to work at the
Health Department. She was a teacher, a mentor, and a friend to me.
She had a special spirit. She was always teaching me about how to
work with the African American and Native American communities she
grew up in in the county.
She had Type II Diabetes and she left work on disability 2 years ago
at the age of 55, because she was losing her sight. She had many of
the common diabetes risk factors. She was African American & Native
American, overweight, had no health insurance for most of the time I
knew her, and had had a stressful life.
Within a month of leaving, she had a stroke, and 6 months later
another. She was unable to talk or move by herself. A few months
later she had a final stroke and passed away quietly. She was only
56. It was hard to see diabetes slowly take her life. I wish she’d
been able to get the medical care she needed. It was too soon for
her to go.
Obesity is an epidemic in the U.S., and the diabetes trend is not
far behind. When I refer to diabetes, I’m speaking only about Type
II diabetes. Approximately 25% of American are obese and 2/3 are
overweight. There’s been a 75% increase in obesity among adults in
the past decade. Among children, 15% are overweight – this is double
what it was in the early 70’s.
The prevalence of obesity differs among racial and ethnic groups.
For Caucasians, 20% are obese, where as for African Americans it’s
30% and for Latinos it’s 24%. In Southern Maryland, 63% of people
are expected to obese at some point in their lifetime if this trend
continues. In the US, our eating habits and lack of physical
activity are the second leading cause of preventable deaths, just
behind tobacco use.
Let me explain how overweight and obesity are determined – they are
calculated using the Body Mass Index (or BMI), which is based using
your height & weight. Being overweight is having a Body Mass Index
of 25 or more. Obesity is having a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater.
For example, a women who is, 5’4” and 30 pounds overweight is
considered obese.
Diabetes
Type II Diabetes has increased 50% among adults in the US in the
last 10 years (CDC). It is now estimated that 1 in 3 babies born
today will develop diabetes in their lifetime. A startling thing
about diabetes is that 30% of people who have it don’t know it.
8.5% of Americans have diabetes. This percentage is higher for
African Americans, Latinos and almost double for Native Americans.
You have a greater chance of developing Type II diabetes the older
you get, if you have a family history or diabetes, a history of
diabetes during pregnancy, if you are overweight or obese, if you
are not very physically active, or have high blood pressure. It is
important to get tested for diabetes each time you have a physical.
Great, now I’ve given you a whole lot of statistics. So what is the
good news? Obesity and diabetes can be prevented in many cases. So
what do we need to do? We need to eat fewer calories, be more
physically active, and create social norms that support these
changes in behavior. Easier said than done, right? More good news is
that challenge is possible. I see people are successfully changing
their lifestyles every day.
I look at health from a 5-point perspective. In your program, you’ll
find a diagram of the 5 Components of Health. They are physical,
mental, social, spiritual and intellectual. If any of these pieces
are out of balance, a person’s health is out of balance.
Social:
So let’s take a look at some of the social reasons obesity and
diabetes – eating is cultural. We eat to celebrate. We eat when we
get together with other people. We share food as a way of being kind
or thoughtful, or as a way of saying thank you. Food itself is not
the problem, it’s how much we eat and what we eat.
What about supersizing? We can’t completely blame the fast food
industry. American love a good deal and making our money go farther.
In the case of fast food, it also makes our waistlines go farther.
Consider the sodas you can purchase at 7-11. An average 12 oz. soda
contains 8 teaspoons of sugar. If you buy the 52 oz Extreme Big
Gulp, you get 35 _ teaspoons – that’s _ of a cup!
We’ve seen dramatic changes in eating habits since the late 1800’s.
Life in our society has become easier in many ways since. Food has
become so easy to get– fast food and commercials for them are almost
everywhere you turn. Food has also become easier to prepare thanks
to processed foods.
Daily activities have also become easier – we drive everywhere,
instead of walking or biking. We have microwaves, washers and
dryers, , dishwashers, and other mechanical gadgets to get the job
done without expending as much energy. We also spend lots of time in
front of computers, TV’s and video games – all things that keep us
sedentary. We’ve even got the Segway now, so we don’t even have to
walk to the mailbox any more – it you can afford one.
With all of these things that make our lives easier, why are we so
busy & stressed? These inventions allow us to do more in a day.
We’ve always got to be doing something. Working hard is part of the
Puritan heritage that we’ve preserved. Just think about the last
time you were rewarded or commended by other people for relaxing,
being lazy and saying “no” ? How long can you sit quietly and do
absolutely nothing, and just “be”? Now just think about how good it
feels to relax and do nothing.
Psychological:
This lead to some of the psychological challenges around taking care
of ourselves. Always trying to do as much as we can in a day can
lead to chronic stress, one of the factors that affects our eating
and exercise habits. When we’re stressed we usually don’t have the
time or energy to get any exercise or eat well. We eat relieve the
stress, to soothe our emotions, we eat out of habit – it makes you
feel good, it can alter your mood or energy level.
Stimulants such as caffeine and sugar have a similar effect on the
body as drinking, using drugs, smoking and gambling. They release
serotonin and endorphins. As soon as the endorphins and serotonin
levels go do, we eat more to keep feeling good. More good news is
that physical activity, laughing and spending time with loved ones
can have similar effects.
I selected the meditation, hymns and the Offertory as an opportunity
to relax and feel good.
Spiritual:
Making changes in eating and physical activity can be easier if you
take a spiritual approach.
Focusing on your purpose in life and what is important to in your
life can make the difference in whether you are successful. Think
about what’s most important to you. Is it being productive & getting
as much do as you can in a day? Or is it more important to balance
your time to take time for yourself, relax and spend time with loved
ones. Think about it – what really nourishes your soul and your
body? Are you doing it on a daily basis?
Slowing down is a wonderful spiritual endeavor. Simply coming to
church service is good for your body. It’s a time to sit quietly,
reflect on your values, consider a new perspective, and visit with
people you care about. The health value of coming to church could be
a whole other discussion.
Meditation, prayer and yoga are other great spiritual approaches to
grounding yourself & lowering your stress level. A person who says
they can’t sit still long enough to do yoga, probably needs it most.
J Anyone ever feel like that? I have.
In the past 6 months, I’ve learned first hand about the power your
diet has on your health. I‘ve had chronic fatigue problems for over
ten years. In all that time no health care provider ever asked what
I was eating. After getting some advice from a fitness trainer and
reading a great deal, I realized the it was the low cholesterol diet
I was eating because I had high cholesterol. I was eating a diet too
high in simple carbohydrates.
I eliminated most white flour and white sugar from my diet and added
more protein and good fats, such as nuts and ate lots more
vegetables. My fatigue disappeared within days. I’ve also lost
almost 20 pounds and lowered my cholesterol level by 45 points –
wonderful side effects. The diet change also took care of my
constant craving for cookies, chocolate, cake, and any other simple
carbohydrates I could get my hands on.
The change has been dramatic and the great thing is that is have not
difficult to maintain – the other option would be to go back to a
life of fatigue. I can tell you, it feels great!
OK, so what are the recommendations to avoid excess weight and
diabetes? Our dietitian at the Health Department recommends a diet
that is 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% (or less) fat. The
average adult eats too many carbohydrates and not enough protein. We
need to eat fewer calories, particularly calories high in saturated
fats, trans fats, and more complex carbohydrates, like whole grains
and fewer simple carbohydrate like white flour and sugar.
Physical activity is the other critical piece. The current
recommendation is to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5
or more days a week. The fact is that any physical activity is
better than none, even a little bit reduces your health risks.
Remember, if you aren’t getting any regular exercise, you need to
build up to it to it. It’s also a good idea to consult your health
care provider, as well. Another good thing is you are never too old
to exercise.
People who have lost weight and kept it off for 5 or more years have
4 things in common:
1. They exercise regularly
2. They monitor their eating regularly
3. They have made true changes in their behavior, even if they may
have started on a fad diet.
4. They have the support of family and friends.
On the last page of your program, I’ve included some suggestions for
healthy eating and physical activity. Most of them will probably
sound familiar. I wish I had a magic bullet for you, but the really
magic bullet or fountains of youth are health eating and regular
physical activity.
See if you can pick 1 or 2 to try. If you are able to do a couple
successfully, add 1 or 2 more after a couple of weeks. I don’t
recommend people try to change everything all at once, because if
they are not immediately successful, they are more likely to give it
all up.
*Pay attention to why you are eating each time you put food in your
mouth – not to make yourself feel guilty, but to be aware. Are you
really physically hungry?
*When you do eat something you think you shouldn’t, forget the guilt
– the stress will make it worse. Enjoy what you do eat.
*Shop the perimeter of the grocery store – for the fresh foods. Look
at the food in the middle of the store next time you are there. How
many of them are processed? How many contain hydrogenated fats,
white flour, white sugar?
*Eat more vegetables & fruits, whole grains.
*Eat less processed food and fast food.
*Eat less hydrogenated fat and saturated fat.
*Decrease your portion sizes.
*Drink more water.
*At family and social gatherings have healthy options, minimize the
high carbohydrate options and include more vegetables, fruits and
whole grains options. I think this church does a good job of
providing a variety of healthy foods.
*Get up & move, add more physically activity to your day. Stop every
hour or 2 and walk for 5 minutes.
*Get a pedometer to measure the # of step you walk. See if you can
work up to 10,000 steps a day – this will take some kind of
scheduled exercise to reach. See your doctor first if you don’t get
any regular physical activity.
*Set a goal that is realistic that you can stick to. Don’t start by
trying to walk 2 miles everyday if you are exercising 2 days a week
for 15’ now.
*Find people who will support you.
*Find people to be physically active with. Make it a family affair,
or when you get together with a friend, go for a walk instead of
coffee or a bagel.
*Treat yourself kindly even when you don’t meet your goals. Don’t
beat yourself up, just get started again. AA says, “Take one day at
a time.” With eating or physical activity, I say, “Take it one hour
at a time.”
*Slow down – don’t so much, trying more “being” & a little less
“doing”
*Eliminate the words “Run, rush and hurry” from your vocabulary. If
you don’t let yourself say these, you will be more focused on not
letting yourself do them.
*Be lazy – take 5 minutes, 30 mintues or 1 hour and don’t do
anything “productive”, this quiet time is productive, healthy,
critical to well-being & balance.
*Get 7-8 hours of sleep. How often do you hear people say they are
tired? Most people need more sleep than they get.
*Keep you thinking positive. When you feel yourself thinking
something negative, try to redirect your thoughts.
*Make eating & physical activity more a part of your spiritual
journey.
*Remember, you can do it.
This is a short amount of time to cover such large issues. If you
have questions I’ll be happy to talk with you after the service. I
have a display table set up by the food.
As you consider what you can do to decrease obesity and diabetes
risk in your life and for those you love, remember: what matters
most in life is each other. We all need to take action to protect
ourselves & the people we love.
In case I’ve increased your stress a bit, I select Hymn # 118 Let
Your Light Shine, to lift your spirits and remind you of the power
inside you – the power to love yourself just the way you are and the
power to change anything that will enable you to live a fulfilling
and healthy life. It’s this power to care for ourselves and believe
in ourselves that allows us to give to others and make this a better
world.
It’s been an honor and a treat to speak to you today. Thank you for
joining me. I want to thank Ruth Phillips for suggesting I do this
service. Hopefully I’ve given you at least one thing you can act on
to reduce your stress, give peace to your life, live a healthier
life and help others to do the same.
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