Sometimes when I see the Andy Singer cartoon above I think I spend way too much time in a 'box'. I sit in either one of two small offices all day writing manuscripts, grants, conference proposals, email, grading papers etc for 10+ hours per day then I (used to) jump in the car to drive less than a mile to workout inside, then drive home, and be back inside again. I hated it. I swore when I finished graduate school that I was not going back to sitting all day, my back aching, and spending maybe ten minutes total outside everyday (and then only to walk to and from the car). Getting around by bike or walking has been the answer for me for a life 'outside the box'.
It has made me realize why so many academics are unhealthy. Academic life rewards the mind and intellectual pursuits-creating a strange division between mind and body (thanks for nothing Descartes!). I found in grad school that many, many of my peers were on either depression/anxiety meds or high blood pressure meds. Matter of fact, these were the two most prescribed meds at the University Health Center. And this was a crew of 20-30 somethings! People far too young to need HB meds. (I know that some people have these conditions genetically and have highly improved quality of life due to innovations in medications. I am only referring here to people who are sick because they sit all day, overwork, eat crap, and wonder why they are depressed, overweight, etc.)
I made a pact with myself during my second year in grad school that I would not resort to meds in lieu of exercise and a healthier lifestyle. While my diet needs some serious, serious improvement, I have kept my pact to this day in regard to using adequate rest, exercise, and healthier means of warding off stress and high blood pressure. That is part of why I prefer a car free lifestyle. By using my body to get around, my heart is healthier and attitude better. I also spend time outdoors everyday which is important to me. I don't think a person can be truly healthy sitting at home in front of the TV, or inside an office, or in a car all day. It just is not a prescription for health.
Miles: 4 total by bike (not much) but fun! I have a longer ride tomorrow which I am looking forward to.
I had high blood pressure from the first time I remember getting in checked in life as a freshman in college until about 2 years ago.
ReplyDeleteEven about 3 years ago when I was the most physically active I have ever been my BP was almost always 20-30 points over 120.
I struggled and struggled with it and even had a stress test and echo taken at Boone hospital to see if I had something wrong with my aorta.
I took BP medication for a while that made me feel like I was going to faint despite the fact that my BP levels did not drop at all. I finally just stopped taking them since they were not really helping.
About two years I stopped eating sugary foods like regular soda, candy and foods with a high glycemic index. I still have the occasional candy bar about every couple of weeks but I used to drink regular soda and eat candy everyday. I used to start every morning off with an ice cold 20 ounce bottle of mountain dew even though it would make my stomach hurt!
Admittedly I stopped eating like that for vanity reasons....I wanted abs and I figured that someone who exercises as much as I do should like like they exercise as much as I do when my shirt is off. That was probably TMI but its true. lol
Anyway, long story short......when I stopped eating sugar my BP went down to normal. My doctor did not really understand why but I'm convinced that the sugar was the cause of my problems. A consistent 20 to 30 point drop is a MAJOR drop!
I've done a little reading on pubmed and there is some research out there connecting the two things but I'm convinced that in a few years the processed sugar, glycemic index and BP is going to be big news.
I have to confess, as disciplined as I am about my work and working out, my diet is crap. Part of the problem has been the workaholic mentality of grad school and I hate to be bored or feel I am not learning, doing, working at something so I end up working a *lot*. Due to this (and it is my choice not anyone else's fault) I often work too much and too late and then feel too tired to cook something nutritious.
ReplyDeleteI have never had high blood pressure but since starting to bike and/or walk everywhere this month, my crap diet is a major handicap. Too many refined carbs that burn right off and leave me with rubber legs. And I don't care what anyone says, refined sugar in all forms is addictive-- I have found out the hard way that fat, sugar, and refined foods don't fuel an active transportation lifestyle! :-)
I bought a few books and have been reading and cooking some quicker, easier things that are based on whole foods, vegetables, grain, etc. So far so good. I even started drinking a greens smoothie every other day or so when I don't have time to eat a big salad but want some greens. The smoothie looks really green, but it is really refreshing and a nice way to get greens in without taking 20 minutes to eat a salad.
I wish I had learned to cook more when I was living at home, but I didn't and most of what I *did* learn to cook wasn't that good for me (some foods are quick to prepare but deadly). But I have felt better over the past few days of eating healthier and I don't bonk when riding somewhere---we'll see how this goes.
RJ, something else......I have been reading a book called Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber (I have two friend with cancer and it has made me curious about prevention) and in it he said that sugar promotes the proliferation of cancer cells. Cancer literally feeds off sugar which I did not know. When they give someone an MRI, the technology cannot actually 'see' cancer cells, but it can detect glucose. So the MRI is actually looking for "glucose clusters" which show where cancer is present. I had always thought sugar was not 'good' for us, but did not think it was 'that bad' (e.g. no fat in it). But this book, and one other I read, have both stated that as far as cancer goes, sugar fertilizes those errant cells.
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