Runners vs. Competitors

For all of you avid runners out there, I recently completed my first 15K and placed second in my age group. I never thought it was possible with my amount of preperation and training but I pulled it off anyway. It is for this reason that I recently composed a feature story, detailing my experience on the course, and the lessons I learned. Excuse the length, but it was a very long 9.1 miles.........

THERE ARE THOSE WHO RUN, AND THOSE WHO RACE
-By Jonathan Meyer

In the sport of endurance running, there are two types of participants that make their way to the finish line of any given event: the runners and the competitors.

The two groups may differ in running style, speed and attitude, but to gather together on a sub-30 degree morning to fight the sea spray and 20 mph winds, both runners and competitors shared one very important trait in the 2007 Birch Bay Road Race: passion.

On March 31 I gathered with about 250 people on the frigid starting line of the 3rd annual event, benefiting Girls on the Run, a Whatcom County-based program to encourage active lives through running. Though I had packed shorts and a tank top for the occasion, my first 15K, the early 7 a.m. start time combined with the violent seaside conditions proved that they would be out of the question. Had I researched the course like the rest of the runners, I would’ve known that last year the starting line temperature was a frosty 22 degrees.

From the pre-race conversation, I could already separate the true competitors, those who come out to race for the trophy and glory, from the running enthusiasts. A group gathered at the small alcove of portable toilets discussed the winner the year prior, and what they had done in training to improve their chances.
“I’ve been running hill sprints into my regular program,” one of the men, probably in his early thirties, said. “I run the same route but sprint all the hills; hopefully it’ll help me in the end.”

Although rather ignorant of the course, even I knew he was speaking of the treacherously steep hill that loomed less than 100 yards from the finish line, which for competitors in the 15 or 30 kilometer distances, usually makes hearts drop and legs cramp.

The enthusiasts, those here for the fun and accomplishment of completing a 9.1 or 18.2 mile race and not for the pressure of an all-out battle, well they were acting somewhat differently. While the “racers” were slowly stretching and contemplating strategy in small groups, the casual runners were congregating in a large mass around the water dispenser, telling exciting stories, sharing tips and lowering the tension of the looming departure.

In a last minute effort to avoid the weather, all of the runners, in the 5, 15 and 30K alike, were called to the finish line simultaneously, and all of a sudden, the mood grew somber. Conversations ceased, breathing slowed and vision narrowed. On this day we all set out to complete our respective race, and accomplish our own goals, and for the last seconds before the starting bell chimed, that’s all any of us were focused on.

As the bell rang out it again became instantly obvious who the competitors were. While the runners out to set a personal best or finish their first races hung back and started slow, a small group broke out quickly, taking off like horses at the track. As they moved away, the enthusiasts among us gradually settled into our chosen pace, waved them off with a dismissive sigh and prepared for a beating at the hands of mother nature.

As we ran our way along the coastline of the resort town of Birch Bay, population 6,000, the first few miles of my 15K hurt like nothing else I have experienced. Although I had run two half-marathons in the past (13.1 miles as opposed to this, which measured out to only 9.2) my training regimen had faltered, I had fell ill before the race, and my athletic condition had suffered greatly. Essentially the only way I would finish this race I realized, with the combined difficulty of freezing water blowing off the ocean and rain beginning to fall, was on guts alone. Herein lies another key difference between myself and the competitors; they know they can complete the race and want to set a record, win or place at the very least, whereas I would have been perfectly happy to survive to see the finish line.

Luckily the wind and water cut down immensely as we entered the forest of Birch Bay National Park and wove our way through the evergreen-rich wilderness. My legs began to feel confident and my heart giddy as I thought to myself, “maybe you can do this.”

The pack had thinned out. A few yards in front of me ran two high-school age girls, chatting idly and running smoothly, apparently not concerned as I was, about the prospect of being carried across the finish line. Behind me were a mother and her young daughter, who to my dismay appeared to be running quite ably at the age of 12. We didn’t attempt to pass or budge one another for rank and were happy at the current speed, because as we all knew, the course would dead end and turn around soon, putting us right back out at the mercy of the sea.

We were not disappointed to say the least, the rain and wind continued, with a wicked twist: it was now blowing directly in our faces, like a hand, sternly pushing back on us as we fought to keep moving forward. As I gazed blindly down the shorefront, my eyes wet with tears of pain, I could make out the finish line, impossibly distant, sitting on the top of a hill, four-and-a-half miles away. People had actually begun to pass me now, my well-practiced stride falling into a clumsy plod down the asphalt as my calves swelled with lactic acid, the cause of cramping and a runners’ worst enemy.

I ran past many quaint little restaurants and bakeries, their smells taunting my hunger-stricken body and I realized that I could be thankful that none of the horrible stomach afflictions, including violent diarrhea and vomiting, which sometimes plague distance runners, had chosen to show their nasty faces this morning. As I passed the two-mile-to-go marker, I was dying; each step made every muscle in my legs scream in protest as I no longer picked up the logs attached to my waist, but swung them around rather, to complete what was barely discernable as a step. I passed the point where the 15K single loop ended, but the 30K loop continued down the shore, and my heart went out to the people crazy enough to endure an added 9 miles of pain.

I turned and ran up what has been not-so-cleverly labeled “Heartbreak Hill” (every distance race has at least one hill carrying this name) as I remembered the group of thirty-something’s by the toilets earlier. With a crazy idea in my head and pain in my heart, I increased my speed to sprint the final climb. I drew many dirty looks as I passed several runners on my way, and stumbled out my last steps to the finish line. I picked my head up from a collapsed gasp just long enough to hear the announcer wrongly pronounce my name and time; I had made it. I had accomplished what I had set out to do.

Like most of the people in the race that day, though I showed some playful competitive spirit at the end, I came with no illusions of glory or grandeur, just a goal, and a passion strong enough to achieve it. People continued to trickle in, each one congratulated by ecstatic fellow runners and presented with their finisher’s medal, the only piece of recognition many of us would get.

It seemed to go unnoticed by most when Nik Southwell, of Victoria B.C. won the 30K five minutes later, efficiently decimating the rest of the long-distance crowd with a blistering 5:30 per-mile average pace, and embarrassing me by finishing double what I had, in nearly the same time.But, as I looked around, I realized there was no reason to care; I hadn’t been there for that, I was there for the experience.

The experience had been challenging, beautiful and most of all enlightening. It is the ecstasy that surrounds us when we do something that we never thought possible, the happiness of achieving a long-term goal and the camaraderie gained through friendly competition that makes runners for life out of many race participants. This was the first race that I’d ever placed in (second in my age group) and I’ve only competed three times to date, but I’m an addict already, a passionate running junkie, one whose now determined to run the oldest and most prestigious race in running lore, the Boston Marathon in 2009- and I’m not running it to win.

Exercise gets harder with Education! - AUDIO CLIP

-courtesy of Google Images

If there's anything that I've been talking a lot about this semester on this blog, it's obesity, and rightly so considering the huge rate of it in this country. Well, it turns out that working adults aren't the only ones with a problem staying avtive and healthy, students struggle once they enter college as well.

The schedule of a college student, as I've observed, leaves very little time for exercise and healthy cooking, so what is the secret to staying in tip top condition? Well, I asked a few people around my campus and recorded some results for you in this audio clip. Here are some insights, from the horses mouth, about what you can do to stay skinny throughout your college career:

Losing the War on Drugs

-Courtesy of Google Images

The war on Drugs has been a long and bloody civil battle, one that many on both sides of the issue believe was over long ago. Despite law enforcement and government regulation of literally hundreds of mind-altering substances, with high punishments, the distribution, consumption and manufacture of these illicit drugs not only continues, but is flourishing.

In a recent article on the web, a former New York City Police Captain, Peter Christ, has a view on the issue that many wouldn't expect. Christ, the founding member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition or LEAP, believes that, "drug regulation and control is a better policy choice than prohibition to deal with serious drug problem in our society." Through his over 20 years of fighting the war on drugs firsthand, Christ has seen everything, and blames most of the drug related problems, theft and violence primarily, on the underground element that controls the illegal trade. In his opinion, "the only way to regulate anything is if it's legal," and the effort towards this would put control back in the hands of the government and take it from the gangsters and drug dealers.

Christ strongly stressed the fact that he does not advocate drug use, but also says that this is not a left vs. right wing issue, but a failed policy issue. In that sense he's very right. From the standpoint of someone who has grown up in the middle of this "war," the government does appear to be losing. If legalization is the only way to bring proper information and control of these substances to our streets and stop the violence, then this is a policy we should give a try. With LEAP's membership ranks including the likes of Noam Chomsky and Milton Freedman, it's not unlikely this issue is going to gain some publicity as well.

Who Gives You Food Advice?

Courtesy of Google Images-

Since Americans were kids they've been raised being told what to eat. Nearly every person on the planet has some opinion of what is good or bad to put in your body, and many of these beliefs have grown into fad diets, an increasingly large and possibly dangerous trend.

There are no less than 5 different kinds of vegetarians these days, those people still on the Atkins diet, South Beach Dieters, Weight Watchers and even Dan Marino and his loyal Nutrisystem followers. All of these people, typically celebrities, are giving advice on how to stay fit and healthy, but they have another thing in common: They don't know anything about nutrition!

After some three decades of pressure, the Michigan Dietics Association is putting law into action to cut down on the amount of second-rate nutritional advice their citizens receive. Under the new law, going into action July 1st, only licensed nutritionists and dieticians, who have at least a Bachelors of Science Degree and 900 hours of experience, will be allowed to dispense nutrition advice.

This is bad news for people like Julie Kowalski, a self-educated entrepreneur identified in the article who has been giving classes on healthy cooking for years. After the new law takes effect, Kowalski and her lawyer will have to go to court to find out if she is still permitted to practice.

For the rest of us, the precedent Michigan is setting is very positive. It will ensure, if adopted by other states, that Americans only receive good, reliable health information, and cut down on the amounts of food myths that people decide to live by(See April 3 post). Only when people know the truth about what it takes to be fit and healthy can they actually begin to move towards it, and we're now one step closer to that goal.

Time to get back out there

-Courtesy of Google Images

Well, it's official. It is a couple of weeks into April, and despite the horrid weather in the Washington area, spring has been sprung on much of the country. This means warm weather, blooming flowers, the smell of fresh cut grass and one more thing; It's time to lose the winter insulation.

That's right, all that extra padding that we've all gained during the holidays is long overdue to come off, and with beautiful weather and swim-trunk season fast approaching, the motivation to kick the heat up a notch in your exercise program couldn't be higher.

A problem many people have when exercising is motivation actually. It is very often not enough to just want to look better for the beach. Why? Because it takes too long to see those results, and people are easily frustrated. So it's much more ideal to set short term goals that you can accomplish along the way. Among the most common and effective short-term goals is some friendly competition. Whether your a first time competitor or a seasoned veteran, there is nothing that compares to the feeling when you take off from the starting line in your first 5, 10 or even 100K.

The pressure and excitement of running in a race gives you added energy to push yourself harder, and finishing will give you the self-confidence to keep your routine going. The sense of accomplishment gained often makes runners-for-life out of even the most reluctant joggers. It's not about the winning, but about achieving the personal goal, and there are hundreds of races out there every spring to allow runners to do just that.

Common sites on the Internet where you can find race schedules, information, training tips or just about anything to get you to that first starting line include:

1. Runningusa.org


2. Marathonguide.com


3. ontherunevents.com


4. runnersworld.com

Collectively, these sites have every resource you could ever need to get out there and shed those vanity pounds, and nothing will ever compare to the rush of competing. Good luck, and remember, it's not about proving something to other people, only yourself.

Myths Exposed

• 
  -Courtesy of Google Images
  
  Myths, urban legends, lies. This is what we may have been placing many of our health concerns and beliefs on, a local nutrition researcher said.
  
  Wendy Repovich, an exercise physiologist at Eastern Washington University, was quoted in a recent article as saying that many of the things that we assume to be true about human nutrition, like carbohydrates making you fat, may just be wives tales.
  
  Repovich set out to clear the record on a few of these issues at the American College of Sports Medicine-sponsored health and fitness summit held recently in Dallas. Her main three culprits were the following myths:

• Eating eggs raises cholesterol
  
• Eating carbs makes you fat


• You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day

First of all she said, eggs do contain cholesterol, but no evidence has been truly used to show that one or two a day is going to put you at risk for heart disease. Carbohydrates furthermore, do not directly lead to weight gain, and the success of Atkins-based programs is primarily due to the connection between cutting carbs and loss of water-weight. The water theory, one of the biggest myths around, only applies to people who don't get water anywhere else in their diet, which almost all of us do. It's true that we need to replace water lost by sweating and urinating, but it doesn't add up to exactly 64 ounces of water a day, so put the water bottle down.

A final myth Repovich wanted to dispel was the supplement myth leading many Americans to GNC. People who eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy do not need to take handfuls of supplements, or any at all for the most part, she said. The rest of us who don't eat so great can get by with a multi-vitamin.

Just goes to show you that you can't believe everything, no matter who you hear it from. There was some noticeable truth to each of the myths, but things like this only serve to teach us to research ourselves, and make our own conclusions.

Races not all about winning.

-courtesy of Google Images

This past weekend I went home to compete in my first running competition in a while. I was slated to run in the Birch Bay International Road Race 15k. The course, equalling about nine miles, runs along the water of Puget Sound, just south of Canada, and takes runners into the peaceful tranquility of Birch Bay National Park.

Prior to this race, the odds were stacked against me. I knew I must complete the course, in some way, because it was a project for my journalism class: to write about the experience of competing. However, I had been sick for weeks, hadn't run more than a couple miles, and had done no serious training in over a year. To put it bluntly, things were not looking good.

When my father and I arrived and looked at the course, we realized no records we're going to be set that day, no medals won. He, still recovering from kidney stones a week prior, had no intention of "racing" in the literal sense either. He only wanted a nice leisurely run with his son who would be leaving home soon, the first run that we had shared in over a year, and probably the last we will ever share.

For people like us, who make up most of the field in long-distance events, the thrill is not in winning, but rather in finishing. To show your body that you can work hard and persevere to complete your goals, that you can go faster and harder than you thought possible, that is the goal. Along the way you get to meet some amazing people and see some beautiful sights as well.

If there's anything that I've gotten from this race and the three I ran prior, it is just that. Winning is great, in fact I got second place for my age group, but the enjoyment of running and improving your health is what keeps people doing it, day after day, year after year.

Free Running: Keeping the sport interesting!

-YouTube

Free runners: a few years no one knew anything about them, and now, following an A&E special, they are developing a cult-like band of followers on sites like YouTube. The sport, which combines various aspects of running, gymnastics and weightlifting, is an extreme physical workout, so far reserved for the elitists who spend days of their week practicing their art.

Unlike true running, much of the draw to free running, is the aesthetic beauty of the display they put on. The point is to use everyday objects to perform tricks or dances in a way with your bodies movements. Despite the artsy feel to it, make no mistake, these guys are athletes to the core. Sometimes running for up to 12 miles a day and performing acrobatics that would leave Jackie Chan spinning, these guys enjoy their workouts, not just complete them.

So maybe this isn't for everyone, but it shows us what may need to be done to our own exercise routine to keep us interested. Next time you're bored running down the road, throw a jump or a skip into the mix. Keep your body guessing, it'll thank you for it later.

Dutch law gets even more interesting

-Courtesy of Google Images

As I stated earlier on this blog, I recently returned from Amsterdam, a city of sin located deep within the Netherlands. In addition to it's beautiful canals and amazing architecture, most people know the city for another reason. Both prostitution and marijuana posession are not convictable crimes. I was in the city during the heart of Spring Break and it was quite a sight to behold as hundreds of tourists engaged in acitvities that would have American police running in circles, and they were doing it in the middle of the street.

While possesion of large amounts of the drug or growing and distributing it without a license is a punishable crime, police do not arrest or even bother people indulging in small amounts of the substance. This has long been a subject of debate about whether or not the Dutch government is undermining the drug policies of other countries, including the U.S.. This point became implicitly clear after a very rough and unnecesary search at customs once returning to Seattle. Apparently the agent was having difficulty believing that a college student such as myself would travel alone to Amsterdam with any other purpose than trafficking drugs.

Despite the already controversial issue, a Dutch court made an even more bizzare move recently. An AP article revealed the fact that in The Hague, a judge ruled that it was ok for a man convicted of hashish smuggling, a serious crime even in the Netherlands, to right off the expenses of said smuggling on his tax return. The fisherman for who the precedent was set, was allowed to make the deduction from his income in the amount that it cost him to ship the drug to and from the country. The courts justification for the move was that he was only trafficking, and not distributing the controversial substance.

Although an odd set of events, many in the Netherlands and out believe the consumption of these drugs to be a victimless crime, but the question now is, should it be actually rewarded with lowered taxes. Many in the Netherlands are probably rejoicing, while governments elsewhere only groan at what this does to their drug struggle. In the end the only logical answer would be for a worldwide drug consensus to be reached, in which all nations reach the same conclusions and adopt the same laws, but that has been historically impossible and will probably never happen. Until that day, tourists will continue to be harassed and government confusion and inconsistencies will only increase.

USDA increases the fruits of their labor.

-courtesy of Google Images

In a recent news story, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) voted on the new direction that their farm bills will take over the next five years or so. For the past 36 months, the USDA has conducted research and put together forums to get a sense of where they are going. Farm bills, proposed every half-decade, set the the tone not only for USDA programs and funding but for the activity of agriculture nationwide.

The USDA has wisely chosen to invest an additional 2 billion dollars on the purchase of fruits and vegetables nationwide, in hopes of improving the nutrition and waistlines of many suffering Americans. This nutrition funding, which makes up the largest part of the USDA budget, was not given lightly, and shows true concern by the government in what is growing to be a huge health issue. Obesity, as well as malnutrition that many Ameriacans suffer from obliviously as a result of missing many essential nutrients, can lead to very long-term problems. While many people think of smoking as one of the biggest problems facing our children, heart disease is the leading killer in America. So with our children eating increasing amounts of fatty foods, and neglecting the fruits and vegetables that keep them healthy, they are putting themselves at that much more at risk to die young.

The USDA has obviously realized the risks involved, and by making this landmark move towards nationwide health, they are giving Americans yet anothere chance to shape up their act. Hopefully we all jump on the bandwagon in time.

VIDEO UPDATE: Apartments At Risk on CurrentTV

My Video on Homes of Risk for college students has made it onto CurrentTV and is currently under review. So now you can use the player embedded below, or see the video on Current's website or YouTube (see below post). Enjoy!

Europe: Ahead in some respects, Lacking in others

-Courtesy of Google Images

I just returned from Spring Break and a five-day tour of some beautiful countryside. I travelled throughout the Netherlands and Switzerland, visiting big cities like Zurich and Amsterdam, as well as beautiful villages like Brig and Montreaux.

There were beautiful sights, including castles, villages, the alps and much more. It was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air during the spring months, that is until.....

I stepped outside!

Apparently I have been conditioned due to the strict smoking bans where I come from on the west coast, but seemingly everyone smokes in Europe. In restaurants, coffeehouses, open air markets, on the ski slopes and in the airports. Yes, even the Geneva Aeroport in Switzerland had a smoking section by the gates. Age doesn't seem to matter either, with kids who look not a day over 15 puffing away as they walk down the streets.

Just the threat of cancer by second-hand smoke blew me away as I saw ciggarettes used more liberally than I ever have before. Mom's were chain smoking while they ate lunch with their kids, and guys in bars were hitting on women by offering them a ciggarette instead of a drink. It was literally unbelievable.

The statistics extended my shock. As it turns out, France and Spain lead European countries in smoking population, and I didn't even visit those countries. The average person in France smokes 15 ciggarettes a day, according to ThinkQuest online library. This ties them with the United States for the most worldwide, but the amount of smokers blows us away, with an estimated 40 percent of youngsters smoking regularly, with no one putting a stop to it.

I've written about smoking before in this blog, and the amount of risks that it puts us at. I believe that these European nations are putting un due risk on there adults and youngsters. They could do well with an informative campaign about smoking, the likes of which can be seen in America. It's time to stop the epidemic, not just here at home, but worldwide.

VIDEO: Staying Healthy After the Dorms

Many students move into houses and apartments close to campus after spending a year in the dorms. It's their own space, close to campus, and best of all it's near their friends. But many landlords may be taking advantage of the situation by offering dirty, broken down, old and often substandard houses. In this video, posted on YouTube and soon to be on Current TV, you can see some of the things students will put up with in my town, just for the college experience.

France Slims Down Fatty Advertising, America Still Gaining

-courtesy of Google Images

It turns out that America, deemed as one of the fattest nations in the world, isn’t the only country that should be concerned about their citizens’ weight.

In a surprise decision, last week French officials voted to order that all TV food advertisements carry health warnings. The surprise is in the fact that France is comparatively a rather “skinny” country, where fewer that 9% are considered obese, according To Marie-Laure Combes’ AP article. The US however has an estimated obesity rate of between 25 and 30 percent, according to the American Obesity Association.

The article makes the assertion that the French have traditionally been very trim and figure-conscious, but that they are concerned that increasing recent popularity of processed and packaged foods, with lots of fat, salt and sugar may lead to an increasing national waistline.

Advertisers found in violation of the rule will be fined 1.5% of the cost of the commercial. Coke ads have already been seen displaying messages like:

· “For your health, eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day.

Other messages advertisers may choose to carry include:

· For your health, undertake regular physical activity."
· "For your health, avoid eating too much fat, too much sugar, too much salt."

With the overall weight of European children ballooning up to 20%, France has not been the first to adopt drastic advertising measures. Both Sweden and Norway do not allow advertising targeting children, and Ireland banned TV ads for candy and fast-food altogether.

The only missing part of the equation is the lazy giant that is the United States. We’ve been watching out numbers of overweight children grow for years, while the amount of time they spent exercising has gone down steadily simultaneously. With some fast food chains advertising meals that include several days worth of calories, we really need some information like this out there. I think these European countries are on the right track and we’d be smart to follow suit.

Condom Use Up, But Not Everywhere

-courtesy of Google Images

American youths are becoming more safety conscious, and going to more lengths to practice a healthy lifestyle-in the bedroom at least.

In a report for the Child Trends DataBank, condom use increased significantly in the past 15 years, rising from 46% among sexually active high school students in 1991 to 63% in 2005. In a country where there are over 300,000 unwanted pregnancies among 15-17 year olds a year and over 4 million of our adolescents have contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI), it is good to hear that our younger generation is smartening up to the idea of safe sex.

For many years schools nationwide have been torn between whether to teach abstinence or safe sex in their programs, with many leaning towards abstaining. Well, with the amounts of sexually active students rising consistently, it seems only logical that schools support and teach students how to engage in the act safely, by using protection.

For sexually active people, condoms are by and far one of the best, if not only, effective way to avoid both STI’s and unwanted pregnancies, and many high schools have come to respect that, giving out condoms often as part of a sex-ed program.

My shock was rather great when I read recently that a school in Kansas City, at the University level (not high-school), has still yet to adopt such a program. The school in the article, Whitman Jewell College, only recently separated from the Missouri Baptist Convention, and has a hard time convincing its entire population that distributing condoms is a proper balance of Christian values. The school has only recently hosted the play, “The Vagina Monologues” and recently held an event called, “Do It Right,” focused on contraception use.

Following these steps in what my opinion is the right direction for the students, the next logical thing to do is make condoms available through the Student Health Center, as many students have reportedly already requested.

School officials stated budgetary concerns, but I don’t think you can put a price on improving the knowledge and well-being of our nations’ students.

College Experiments Dangerous

-courtesy of google images

When many people think of college, especially aspiring students, they think of it as a time to cut loose, a time to let go. Perhaps the ever infamous “South Park” character “Chef” said it best in an older episode, “there’s a time and place for everything children,” the lovable mentor said. “And it’s called college.”

In a recent editorial in The University Echo Online, they discuss the fact that administrators are rejoicing that college campuses are gradually losing their stigmas as locations for drunken debauchery and drug use. Traditionally the article says, the college years were viewed as times of “few responsibilities” that students took advantage of to explore the “possibilities that would be unavailable to them once they entered the real world.”

Now, the piece goes on to claim, college campuses have become places for “judgmental chastity and restriction.” The true shock is when the article goes on to say that this may be a BAD thing, that these new restrictions will cause alums to experiment later in life and cause themselves more harm.

As a former police/court reporter at Washington State University, a college still recovering from its label as Playboy’s #1 party school in America some years ago, I am going to vouch for the fact that the drug use, sexual acts and excessive drinking have not actually tapered down, but instead gone underground. Sure, gone may be the times of 5-block wide parties that attract celebrities and leave houses in shambles, but there exists just as big a problem as ever.

I composed an article some months ago concerning the rise in cocaine use among students, a very dangerous trend indeed. It turns out that there has been a sharp decrease in the trafficking of party drugs such as Ecstasy and the new nationwide killer methamphetamine, as my source, Undersheriff Ronald Rockness, told me, but unfortunately there has been a dangerous spike in the use of cocaine, making it the next most popular drug after marijuana.

As it turns out, many students view cocaine to be cleaner and safer than “X” and “meth,” because of these drugs’ nature of being manufactured in homemade clandestine labs. This is a very dangerous attitude to hold towards the very mentally addictive and dangerous stimulant.

According to DrugFree, a popular anti-drug website, some of the side effects of cocaine use can include: high body temperature, paranoia, aggression, destruction of nasal tissue, and depression after quitting use.

These are some very dangerous side-effects for students to consider. It is very difficult I assume, to be a drug user of this magnitude and succeed in school. It is for this reason that I disagree with the Echo’s editorial. Administrators should be cracking down on these dangerous behaviors and have a right to embrace the decrease, if in fact it does occur. Some of these things are far too dangerous for students to experiment with, even once, as it may cause their future and current lives to be in danger.

The sleep we deserve

Sleep is a very vital part of human life. We spend over a third of our lives doing it, yet no one really understands what goes on when we close our eyes at night. Students in particular don't get enough sleep and as a result have been suffering from all sorts of symptoms, perhaps with out even knowing it.

In this three minute audio production I examine, through interviews and research, just how much our lives might improve if we were allowed to spend more time in bed. Click on the link below, and give me some feedback on the subject. Enjoy.

Smoking put out by taxes

7,500 cigarettes, three weeks of your life and just under two thousand dollars: That’s what a person who smokes one pack a day could save themselves by quitting for only one year, and let’s face it, most people don’t smoke just one pack a day.

Some months ago Washington enacted the most restrictive ban in United States history, making it a punishable offense to smoke within twenty feet of a public building. This therefore, also put bar and tavern owners at risk of being fined for allowing people to smoke near their establishments.

The trend seems to be catching on too. Across the country, states like California and Minnesota are working to enact similar policies. Anything from not allowing smoking in bars, to enacting huge tobacco taxes to deter smokers, the country is really out to stop this problem.

There is one setback that it seems no one really anticipated. A few years ago, one in five adults smoked, according to an article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Now, with the pushing through of all these new regulations, that number is down, and as a result so is the money in the treasury. In Minnesota, where the article was published, tobacco tax collections have fallen about 1% a year consistently, or about 4-5 million dollars annually.

State budgeters attribute this to the raise in taxes, calling it a sin tax, and the most justifiable one that you can raise. Tobacco taxes amounted to 13 billion dollars nationally last year.. It seems that the taxes have reached their peak, finally becoming so high that it has forced many consumers to lay down there cancer sticks.

While many state penny pinchers may see this as an unanticipated setback, I view it as a huge blessing. We’ve finally reached the point where cigarettes are deterring people by themselves; we don’t even need to produce negative advertising. If these prices and regulations continue to increase, we could be on our way to a healthier, smoke free nation, and everyone has to be happy about that especially the smokers who stand to save thousands.

Nap for your Health!

With the ever-increasing rate of American obesity, heart disease is growing as a real health issue. As the leading cause of death in America, it’s scary to think that so many people simply ignore it when they pull up to the drive-thru at McDonalds.

It’s a fact; our waistlines are growing faster than ever. If there’s anything greater than our obsession with fast food, it’s our downright reluctance and laziness to do anything about it.

There is some good news in sight though for those of us who want to be healthy and still enjoy ourselves.

In an article for Forbes.com, research has revealed that being a little lazy might actually help your heart stay healthy. In the article, a study of Greek men and women revealed that taking a midday nap may reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 30 percent. These naps, or siestas, are very common in Mediterranean countries and a few places in Latin America, all of which have comparatively low rates of heart disease.

The study followed over 20,000 individuals for an average of 6.3 years, monitoring their habits. They found that a daily nap was ultimately a good way to lower the risk of heart disease. Even people who napped only occasionally found their risk to be reduced by about 12%.

This is good news for people in countries such as Mexico and Spain, and may spell out some employer work day changes within the U.S. if these findings are confirmed.

Researchers say that the cause for this odd association between sleep and heart problems, may simply be the stress component. A nap relieves a lot of the stress that you may feel, which would greatly benefit a working individual, they hypothesized. The improvements caused by taking a siesta were greatly reduced in those individuals who did not have jobs.

However the team behind the study wanted to be clear that taking a nap, despite their results, was no substitute for a proper diet and exercise regime. They advised that people who don’t currently nap wait for the results of further research and stick to what’s been proven effective for now: Exercise regularly, don’t smoke and maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure level.

Fiber: Too many benefits to count

-Courtesy of Google Images

Miracle fixes are all the fad these days. Nowhere can you look without seeing a pill, machine or special new routine that’s guaranteed to turn your life around. There’s actually a diet pill on the market that advertises itself as being “one-hundred dollars a bottle because it works.”

It turns out that the quick solution that everyone’s looking for might not come from an infomercial or in a bottle. It’s probably in your cabinet or refrigerator right now.

An article in the Orlando Sentinel explores the lives of a couple of people who have made drastic changes in their lives, losing large amounts of weight and improving their quality of living, by simply adding fiber to their diet. One woman in the article lost 60 pounds since starting the Fiber35 Diet, published by Brenda Watson, the co-owner of ReNew Life formulas in Palm Harbor. According to Watson, people are increasingly turning to fiber in the battle to shed weight.

Well it begs the question, what is fiber? It’s a question that apparently most Americans don’t know the answer to; the American Heart Association (AHA) says that the average American only gets half of their daily value of this precious material. Quite simply, fiber is a substance found in plants, known commonly as roughage, that the body cannot digest, helping promote regularity Foods such as grains, oats, brans, fruits and beans are all high in soluble fiber, the form that’s also been shown to lower cholesterol, according to the AHA. Foods high in insoluble fiber, shown to help improve bowel function and help reduce weight include things like whole wheat bread and cereal, rice vegetables and apple skin.

On a side note apples are one of the best sources of fiber, their skin being full of the insoluble form, and the pulp loaded with the soluble type.

In addition to weight loss, lower cholesterol and some claims of cancer preventative properties, eating a diet rich in fiber will benefit you in other ways as well. Everyone should try to get at least 35 grams of fiber a day, according to Watson, and doing so will teach you optimum nutrition and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Also, foods rich in fiber are also rich in many other essential nutrients, proving yet another unexpected benefit.

However, both Watson and the AHA warn that you can overdo it. If you eat too much fiber you will likely suffer from gas and diarrhea, and if you don’t drink enough water, which is essential in a high-fiber diet, you run the risk of developing intestinal blockage.

It’s no doubt to me that the obesity rate in America is due to a lack of education about essential substances like fiber. Getting that average number above half would greatly benefit the health, not to mention the waistlines, of our nation.

Vitamins, Miracle Cure or Curse?

-Courtesy of Google Images

In the battle to stay healthy in an increasingly fast-paced world, people are constantly taking shortcuts to stay healthy. One of the biggest trends that has been building for the last several decades has been the use of vitamin supplements. You can just take a handful, or even better, just one pill in the morning that supposedly has all of the vitamins and minerals for your day. Sounds great for someone always on the go, with no time to think about what they eat.

Well, as it always seems to turn out, there is a catch. Some of these vitamin supplements may pose a risk to some people, with that risk growing even more when they misuse or overuse the product. A New York Times piece titled, “Revisiting a Poison Control Database on Supplement Risks,” serves as a correction on another article, but also highlights the number of adverse reactions to these substances. Granted, the number is rather low, so to be clear I am not advocating that everybody quit taking vitamins, but rather be careful when beginning a regimen, waiting to see how your body reacts, and to always listen to your doctor or at least the label when determining dosage.

According to the Times article, of the 125,595 exposures to supplements documented by the Poison Control Center, 17,843 of them resulted in health care visits, which is over 10 percent of the cases.

Another article by the New York Times, “Vitamins: More may be too much,” looked to over-using vitamin A as being a potential hazard. The article estimated that 70 percent of Americans occasionally use supplements, with 40 percent using them regularly. Of these health conscious people, there is a sub-set that may be pre-disposed to over doing it. Some supplements contain up to four times the recommended daily dosage of vitamin A, a fact that may put some people at greater risk for bone breakage and weakness.

Dr. Benjamin Caballero, a member of the Food and Nutrition Board at the National Academy of Sciences said to the interviewing reporter, “that the difference between the recommended dose and a dose that could lead to bad outcomes like osteoperosis is not large.”

He added that popular multivitamins often contain what could be considered risky doses.
Admittedly, this risk affects only a small amount of the population, but with the growing amount of multivitamins and health-conscious consumers, it’s one that we should be aware of. The best thing to do is always check the label, do research or when in doubt, ask a doctor.

More Resources

Access My Links

That's right, now you can have access to all of the bookmarked pages that I use to produce this blog. Topics such as alcoholism, diet and exercise can all be accessed through these links, as well as quite a few you haven't heard of yet. Check them out and put these resources to work for you in putting together a healthy lifestyle.

Trail Running: A Tour

-Photos by Jonathan Meyer

Exercise should be a part of our daily lives and it has been for many people since the beginning of the New Year. But will it stay that way?

In the Daily Evergreen recently I saw an article concerning the high increase in the amount of people going to the Recreation Center to run, swim, bike or workout. This is good news and seems to have come at the right time. In my earlier post I addreseed the fact students often do not get enough exercise due to their busy schedules. This seems to all be on the mend according to the Evergreen's report, or is it? Deeper into the article there was an interview with someone working at the Rec. Center who said essentially that every year they see the same increase, presumably because of new years resolutions, and then it all goes back to normal in early February. They see the same peak and fall around Spring Break as well.

So what happens that makes all of these people change? It's quite simple; they get bored! Everything starts out fine, people go to the Rec. Center every day, they start to lose weight and they feel great. But after a while they find a reason not to go one day, then two days. Pretty soon that one day turns into the rest of the semester and they're wearing sweaters in the summer to cover that unsigthtly bulge. It's not that these people lack motivation, but rather that they got tired of doing the same exact thing every day, staring at the same spot on the wall. Exercising on an indoor track or on a machine has its advantages, but eventually you get tired of the repitition.

That's why for today I've posted a great alternative for anyone who's eager to get outside and get some variety into their program, so it doesn't crash and burn like last year's resolution. Here in Pullman there is a paved seven-mile trail designed specifically for walking, running, biking, or any other non-motorized activity. The Bill Chipman Palouse Trail has no repitition, is very flat and provides an awesome training ground for students as it's located very near campus.

Follow the slide show to determine if trail running is for you. If you don't have access to this trail or something like it at home, I suggest you find a dead-end road or sidewalk you can use somewhere. Variety is one of the keys to keeping an athlete fresh and interested, so training outside is very useful even if it's just a little too cold to start doing yet. Keep trails in mind when the weather improves this spring.

Flu Season!

Courtesy of Google Images

As students the pressure to meet deadlines and succeed has never been greater, leaving little time to battle the epidemic that is flu season. It's upon us again and our campus is a literal melting pot for the virus. No student has the time or patience to get sick, so it is important to use every resource available to try and keep healthy.

At the University of Nebraska in Omaha, officials are beginning to see a dangerous trend forming. According to an article in The Gateway by Eugene Kim, even though students there are offered the influenza vaccine at a discounted price, they are not seeing the interest that they once did. Out of 458 shots given so far at Student Health Services, only 169 were given to students; that's just a little more than one-quarter of the vaccinations. So why are students not coming in to get pricked? The reasons vary from reports that the vaccine doesn't work on them to stories about never having the flu ever.

Despite the stubbornness of students to get poked, the flu brings with it some very real and serious consequences, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Left untreated, a person's condition may clear up in a few days no problem, or in rare cases lead to pneumonia or death. Influenza kills about 36,000 people in the US every year.

Even though most cases never lead to death, students have a lot to deal with if they come down with a bad case of the flu. Several Nebraska towns had to actually shut down for the better part of a week due to the high rate of infection. The University of Nebraska had to order more vaccines due to a shortage. Those students who chose not to or could not get the vaccine put everyone around them at risk by going to class, the library or just common areas where the disease is easily spread through coughing or sneezing. It's important that they think about not only their health, but the health of others.

For those among us who refuse to get vaccinated, there is a solution, though it is not fool proof. If you're just too scared of that needle, the CDC does recommend some good health habits on their page that may help defend you against the flu.

Flu Season typically lasts from October to around February. Follow These Tips to Make it Through:

1. Avoid Contact- Don't touch other people who are sick, likewise stay away from healthy people if you are sick.

2. Stay Home When Sick- This is the hard one for students, but unless you have something you must absolutely attend or turn in, just do everyone a favor and stay in bed.

3. Cover Your Mouth and Nose- The important point is this: use a tissue. This is how the disease is spread, through sneezing; so if everyone followed this and No. 4, the US could cut down on influenza related deaths substantially.

4. Clean Your Hands- More germs are on human hands than we could imagine, and we're constantly putting them inside our mouths. Wash your hands with soap and hot water to cut down the amount of germs enter your body.

5. Avoid Touching Your Eyes, Hands and Mouth- This is where all the nasty germs from your hands actually enter your body. Keep the germs away.

6. Practice Other Healthy Habits- Eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of sleep often become the last of a students priorities. Nevertheless, they can help to avoid the flu and other sicknesses caused simply by a weakened immune system.

Now according to the CDC's "Flu Page," vaccinations are the number one way to avoid infection and you can't beat a doctor's advice, but all these measures can help as well. Students should also keep in mind that despite how important their classes are, they're still human, their body needs time to heal; if they give it that, they may save themselves and the people around them lots of suffering.

Exercise Poll

Food Network

Courtesy of Google Images.

College students spend much of their time either in class or studying, so when they get done with their day it's not suprising to see them sprawled out in front of the television, zoning out to their favorite show; The Simpsons, Family Guy, The OC and maybe even Jon Stewart are all pretty typical choices when students pick up the remote, but lately a new, more instructional channel is drawing our attention. That channel is the Food Network.

First thing some people are thinking is, "What? My grandma used to watch that while she was sewing." Seriously though, in my community I have observed an increasing amount of students, male and female, tuning in to shows like Emeril, Good Eats and 30-Minute Meals with Rachael Ray during the past few years. I'm not the only one either; in its' September 11, 2006 issue Time published an article about the soaring popularity of Ray's program and the diverse audience that it attracts. Ray's show, during which she shows how to cook an entire meal in 30 minutes, has a fan base that includes both teenage and young adult viewers as well as many younger children watching at home with their parents.

I see a very positive development here as Ray is not only providing a new source of entertainment for bored children and students, but is also enlightening us to ways of improving our diet that we can actually do. Before Rachel Ray, cooking programs tended to be boring and drab; on top of that they were always cooking something that a normal person would either never dream of trying to cook, or never eat. All of that has changed with Ray's bubbly personality, fun recipes and a timeline that anyone can handle.

Hopefully the techniques and tricks Ray uses to make good, healthy food quick will persuade students to give their own diet a long needed overhaul. In an article on WebMD entitled "Many College Students Flunking Eating 101," the author Mike Fillon raises some serious concerns about the diet choices of University-goers. Many students it turns out actually think that they are eating well when, in reality, they are eating bad foods at all times of the day with little or no thought of nutritional value. While some students do make the concious decision to eat right, just as many, if not more, are living on cafeteria hamburgers and microwaved Top Ramen. It isn't like high school where you can depend on parents or lunch-ladies to decide what to serve you, college is the time when we build eating habits for the rest of our lives and many of the habits that are being built- aren't good ones.

Hopefully a chef like Ray, and the increasingly engaging programming on Food Network, can begin to change things a little bit. Since more college students are watching, hopefully they're taking the lessons to heart, learning how to make their own quick and healthy meals. They don't have to eat fast food between classes or ice cream when they're studying late, it's all a matter of choice. Its good that somebody has finally shown us, as well as the rest of America, that healthy eating doesnt have to take a long time or taste bad, you just have to make the decision to do it: to cook instead of go out, to eat an apple instead of chips and to make the time to be a fitter person.

Gabcast! The Health Channel #2 - Episode 1: Binge Drinking

A short audio discussion of the dangers and very real consequences facing the ever-growing population of young binge drinkers.

Sources:
1)Link to Daily Evergreen article regarding alcohol and crime in a college town
2)Link to survey concerning the consequences facing binge drinkers
3)Link to survey regarding the prevelancy of college drinking

Gabcast! The Health Channel #1 - Welcome

Just a small introduction to the author and what this blog is about.

Healthy Living Starts Early

The American society is more overweight than ever, with childhood obesity reaching record highs in recent years, raising some real concern about what parents are teaching their children about healthy living.When I was in grade school parents either sent their kids to school with bag lunches which were often thrown away, or the kids bought food at the school cafeteria. What I remember most about both of these is that nutritious food wasn't usually in the equation either way. Parents who did send their children to school with a good lunch could usually expect for it to be ignored or thrown away.

It seems that some schools are finally catching on. In an article by Angie Jeffrey of the Greater Danbury News-Times, I was pleased to read that a school in this community in Connecticut is finally providing students with the option to be healthy. Not only have the schools started adjusting their cafeteria menu to include sensible foods like fruit cups, whole grain cereal and muffins, according to the article, but they've also began to reduce portion size as well. This is a move in a very positive direction from traditional school lunches such as pizza and hamburgers with a side of fries.

The change in Danbury was sparked by the implementation of an early morning exercise program four years ago. The program allows students to come to school before class two days a week and walk indoors with their parents and teachers, before having a healthy breakfast. While most of the students in the story participate chiefly for fun, the healthy vibe seems to have worn off; one student told Ms. Jeffrey that she even had fresh fruit at her birthday party.

In a day and age where kids often spend 6-7 hours a day immobile at a desk for 12 years of their lives in school, they can use all of the motivation we can give them to be healthy. If we can teach our children to love exercise and the importance of healthy eating now, they won’t need to join the millions of Americans struggling with diet fads in the future.

According to the American Heart Association, all children over the age of two should get at least 30 minutes of fun physical activity a day. Furthermore, older children should exercise vigorously, ideally in fun activities like group sports, 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes or more. The association adds that "inactive children are likely to become inactive adults," so it is important to teach our children good habits now, before they develop harmful ones. So by reducing the children's sedentary time and replacing it with fun exercise, the schools in Danbury have set an example of the way we should be teaching our children to be healthy adults.

Did you Digg this post? Show your support here!!