National Body Challenge

The Discovery Health channel has been doing the Body Challenges for a couple of years. The first one was life changing for me. That's no exageration. After the initial airing, they did an entire weekend marathon of the show and I watched every single episode. I then taped it.

There was something that I really connected with and the people struggling to lose the weight. It showed how hard it was (most don't... it's the before and ta-da the after.. not the emotion or physical struggle that changing into a healthier body is).

They've done several others since that first one and I didn't connect quite the same way... and we won't even discuss the disaster that was "Health Cops". It showed why you can't turn a switch on people and they become healthy. It also made me realize how hard finding a good "trainer/nutritionist" was going to be. I wouldn't have wanted to work with any of the coaches on that show.

So anyway, back to the Body Challenge. This year they're following entire families for 8 or 12 weeks. I really like that they're dealing with whole families (it's gotta be a lifestyle change, which means everyone in the house has to be on board). They're using a "scare" tactic with health issues, which I like (I'll go into that a bit more later...) and they're teaching people how to eat the foods they enjoy, but to make them healthier (one of the things that didn't work with "Health Cops"... you can't feed people food they don't like and expect them to stick with the program). Of course the best thing? They're including the kids...

Anyway, as I said one of the things I really like is the medical check ups they do at the beginning and at the end. We, as a society, need to get past the "vanity" issue of being at a healthy weight. This show focuses on the health risks of being fat. The 33 year old woman who's blood pressure was so high the doctor wanted to put her on medication right then and there. The type II diabetes, the high body fat %... now they didn't do a cholestrol check, as they did in the first one, but it's been mentioned. Now we all want to look good, but we still need to remember that one of the reasons being at a healthy weight is "sexier" is that it's also a sign of "healthier".

Even now, at 157 lbs, I'm at an unhealthy weight. Yes, I've gotten my blood pressure and my cholestrol into acceptable ranges, but I still am putting a lot of strain on my joints and heart by lugging around a good 30-40 lbs. I should weigh between 103 to 127 lbs. 157 lbs puts me in the close to obese catagory and puts me at higher health risks.

The new Body Challenge has also done something I really like. They are bringing in professional chefs to help the families make some of their favorite foods healthier. Especially the more ethnic foods. Food is one of the important aspects of life. We connect to our heritage, our family and our celebrations thru food. You can't feed people a diet that doesn't consider their heritage. However, almost all meals can be made healthier... cutting down fat and kicking up the seasonings.

So thanks to Discovery Health Channel for waking me up all those years ago. I realized how hard I had to work, the food choices I had to make and the fact it's a lifestyle change, not a "diet".