Blake Hagen's Blog (14)

Yesterday I read a post called Exercise is Good Medicine from Carole Carson's blog. She talks about the "Exercise is Medicine" campaign which calls on doctors to "assess and review every patient's physical activity…

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Creating healthy habits can be hard. In order to change our bad habits to good habits, we have to want to. We have to have the willpower and determination to do it.



Of course it is hard at first. But with time it gets easier and easier to stick with the healthy changes.



Everyday I read success stories of people changing their lives and changing their health. They all have their own reasons for changing their lifestyles but they… Continue

Just in case you were wondering if obesity really is a growing problem in our country:

Percent of Obese (BMI >30) in U.S Adults in 1987

Percent of Obese (BMI >30) in U.S Adults in 2007…

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How many cans of soda have you had today? This week? This month? For some, it may be none, for some, it may be a lot.



In case you haven't heard, soda and soft drinks are not that good for you. Here's what Marion Nestle says in What to Eat (yup, still reading it and still enjoying it):

"Soft drinks are the prototypical junk food; they contain sugars -- and, therefore, calories -- but nothing else of nutritional value."

Calories from… Continue

In 2005, there were 2,448,017 deaths in the United States. Of those deaths, 652,091 (27%) were from heart disease, 559,312 (23%) from cancer, 143,579 (6%) from stroke (cerebrovascular diseases), and 75,119 (3%) from diabetes (according to CDC Statistics).



I would be stupid to say that ALL of these deaths were preventable through healthy lifestyle habits. They… Continue

Yesterday I had a nasty headache that I couldn't seem to get rid of. It lasted through the night and I woke up this morning with my head still aching. Nothing I tried was working so I tried something else -- an 18 mile bike ride. Yup, my headache is gone now. I don't know why or how, nor do I care. I'm just glad it's gone!



I guess exercise is good for us.



Have a good weekend and get some physical activity in. Watch some football too.…



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One of the huge benefits of regular physical activity is the way it helps us handle stress and other emotional aspects of our lives. We all have things that get us worried or stressed –whether it’s family, work, school, our health, or anything else. Regular exercise can help.



Here’s what Dr. Stephen Aldana, professor of lifestyle medicine at BYU, had to say in his book The Culprit and the Cure:



“A review of 34 studies showed that sedentary individuals who started engaging… Continue

Last weekend I did another triathlon. This one was a pretty short one (400 meter swim/10 mile bike/5k run), but still fun and still an accomplishment. I love participating in and finishing triathlons -anyone who has done one knows they are kind of addicting.



I had a time of 1 hour 19 minutes. It was good enough for 41st out of 200 participants overall and 6th of 23 participants in the Male 20-29 division. This was the first time I've finished in the top half of a tri so I was pretty… Continue

Yesterday was confirmation that, for me, exercise and eating habits are related. I had planned on going for an hour-long, hard ride on my bike. I always check my tires to make sure they have enough air and that my bike is good to go.



While checking, I noticed the front tire was just a little low. No problem. There is a gas station on my route where I can fill up. It's a couple miles from my house so it shouldn't be hassle to get some… Continue

According to a study done by the Stanford University School of Medicine, published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, regular running can slow the effects of aging. The study found that elderly joggers were half as likely to die early deaths, had fewer disabilities, and remained fit for longer.



Here's what the study's senior author had to say:



"If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would… Continue

Some time ago I wrote a post on being a so-called "health nut." I am still amazed at the reactions of some people when they see that I like to take care of myself. I like to exercise. I like to train and compete in triathlons. I like to eat fruit, vegetables, and other healthy foods. I am by no means perfect with my eating or training, but I try to do the best I can.



"What are you, some kind of health nut?" is a question I get… Continue

Want to improve your health? Have health goals you are trying to reach? Here are some thoughts I had about goals and making healthy lifestyle changes. I'm not a psychologist and I don't pretend to know everything about goals, behavior change and motivation. These are just some things that have worked for me:



Believe



I am a firm believer in the power of the mind. You have to believe that you can reach your goals, whatever they may be. Believing in yourself will help… Continue

Our bodies are amazing. They work pretty well for us. We usually don't have to think twice about breathing, moving, seeing, smelling, thinking, etc. Our bodies just do those things when we want them to. We demand a lot of our bodies for all of these normal processes, and our bodies don't require a whole lot in return. Just healthy living.



Oxygen comes into the body, gets to the lungs, gases are exchanged, the oxygen gets into the blood and gets to the rest of the body. Nerve signals… Continue

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