Weekly Motivation

Former Cowboys star Nate Newton has lost 175 pounds

Weekly Motivation

By Chris Chase

At his heaviest, Nate Newton weighed 401 pounds. He was so big during his playing days that he forced the Dallas Cowboys equipment manager to rearrange his entire ordering system (and earned the nickname “The Kitchen” because of it). He used to joke about his size, saying that when he retired from the NFL he was going to get into the weight-gaining business because “I know all the wrong things to do.”

He stayed big after retiring and through his 32-month stint in prison and it eventually got to the point where Newton, 48, stopped joking about his size and became fearful of it instead. When he came to the realization that his obesity might not let him live long enough to see his youngest son graduate from high school, he decided to do something about.

The Dallas Morning news reports that in February, Newton underwent a new surgery called “vertical gastrectomy,” an operation which removes up to 75 percent of the patient’s stomach and staples the remaining portion. Today, he weighs 220 pounds. It’s the thinnest he’s been since eighth grade.

The vertical gastrectomy operation is usually reserved for people who are too heavy to undergo other forms of weight-loss surgery. At this point, it’s an uncommon procedure because few doctors perform it and most insurance companies regard it as experimental. Newton’s doctor insists it’s safe, but the extreme weight loss the former NFL star has experienced isn’t normal.

Newton has resumed working out and is training like he did in the old days, sometimes going for as long as two hours per day. He eventually hopes to get down to 196 pounds, which would be 200 less than when he started.

Even at 220, he looks like a new man. Deion Sanders, who recently had coffee with Newton, said he could hardly believe his eyes when he saw his old teammate.

“I’m happy for him because I know I’m going to have him for another 70, 80 years,” Sanders said. (That’s an optimistic life expectancy expectation from Deion; in 80 years, Newton would be 128 years old.)

Newton says there is one downside to his svelte, new frame though.

“I don’t get discounts anymore because nobody recognizes me until they see my credit card,” he told the Dallas Morning News.

It’s a small price to pay for a big lifestyle change.

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Make Family Mealtime More Pleasant

1 Comment / Weekly Motivation
By Becky Hand

As a parent, your days are probably pretty stressful. You get the older kids off to school, run errands, keep the household running smoothly, and maintain your career. At the end of a hard day, you just want to relax and spend some quality time with your family.

But if you’re like most busy parents, relaxation time is nothing more than wishful thinking. As the house fills up again at night, there’s noise, tantrums, and disorganization, which seem to last until everyone falls asleep.

Mealtime, whether it’s breakfast together or a family dinner, doesn’t have to be as stressful as the rest of your day. Here are some tips to handle picky eaters, set an example of healthy eating (which children learn from their parents), and make your meals together a more positive experience:

  • Try to serve food in a comfortable, relaxed, and unhurried atmosphere.
  • Encourage a child’s participation in meal preparation (measuring, stirring, decoration, cutting and arranging)
  • Food should be warm or cool, (not hot or cold); a child’s mouth is more sensitive than an adult’s
  • Flavors should be mild, not spicy; a child has more taste buds than an adult
  • If the child is able, give her a small, mini-shopping list to look for a few items on the lower shelves. Make sure the foods are nutritious and easy to handle.
  • If you want to avoid waste, serve smaller portions. Don’t encourage overeating or fussy eaters by forcing a child to eat everything on the plate.
  • Let your child learn to feed her or himself. Be patient. To ease the mess, put newspaper under the chair and have a towel ready to wipe up spills.
  • Serve food with child-sized plates and cups.
  • If possible, plan rest or quiet time before meals. A tired or overly excited child may be less hungry at mealtimes.
  • When introducing a new food, try serving it during the same meal as a favorite food.
  • Make pre-meal hand washing a pleasant event. Allow time for the child to enjoy the splash of soap and water. A quick, forced washing, particularly after the food is served, may make a child too upset to eat well at the meal.
  • Set a good example. If other people at the table enjoy a variety of foods, your child will learn by copying what you do.
  • If your child appears to have lost interest in the meal, or to dawdle, give him/her a reasonable time to eat (20-30 minutes) then quietly but firmly remove the food. Most children will eat when they are hungry. Do not force the issue.
  • Likes and dislikes may appear suddenly. Be casual about these new food notions. If no one pays special attention to these quirks, they will soon be outgrown.
  • Do not coax, play games, or force your child to eat. You are not teaching good food habits. Make a wide variety of nutritious foods available to your child, and then let your child decide what to eat.
  • Small children prefer to eat with their fingers. Give them small sandwiches, raw veggies, meat cut into bite sizes, fruits and cheese cut into small pieces, and crackers spread with peanut butter or cottage cheese.
  • Be casual about desserts, and make them a part of the total meal plan when they are served. Placing special attention on desserts, or using them as rewards only makes them more desirable than other foods.
  • Let your child be the judge about how much to eat. Appetite may vary from one meal to another, and from day to day. Never make an issue of food acceptance. You provide the nutritious choices…then let the child choose among them.

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6 Easy Ways to Beat Job Stress

Training, Weekly Motivation

By: Eddie Robbins

Raise your hand if the following are true: Your boss recites Dilbert. The staff consists of the Pink Floyd Animals trifecta: dogs, pigs, and sheep. You hear blood churning through your ears, taste adrenaline in your saliva, feel sweat spreading out from your armpits as your stress levels rise, rise, rise…and then sit there and boil. No release. No escape.

Okay, hands down. Work stress rips us apart. It sabotages us. Inspires stupid comments snapped at people just as stupid. Makes us a Monday-through-Friday phosphorous burn.

Enough already. Tomorrow, and every day thereafter, remember these tips for controlling the weight on your shoulders. Because if you think your job isn’t your life, you’re dead wrong.

Dump the Coffee

We know, coffee is in your blood—and that’s the problem. Caffeine is liquid stress, simultaneously boosting adrenaline production and suppressing adenosine, a natural relaxant in your brain. “Eliminating caffeine is more effective than any other stress-reduction strategy I know,” says David B. Posen, M.D., a stress expert and author of Always Change a Losing Game. In fact, Dr. Posen claims that 75 percent of his decaffeinated patients feel significantly more relaxed and, ironically, more energetic—mostly from better sleep.

To avoid withdrawal headaches, Dr. Posen suggests gradually cutting back by one cup at a time, beginning with your last cup of the day.

Say the “O” Word

Ask David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, what’s the biggest office stress buster, and his answer is immediate: organization. “It’s what’s most needed and most lacking.” Even a very basic organizational habit can cumulatively save you hours in a work week. And, of course, more time means less stress. Allen’s most valuable habit? “My end-of-week review. I go over my inbox and my work lists. By far, it’s my best-spent time.” Thanks to that one wise Friday hour, he’s never frazzled or overwhelmed when the whistle blows on Monday morning.

Spy on Yourself

Hunched over a keyboard with knots in your shoulders? Yeah, and you probably didn’t realize it until you stopped to think about it. But who has time to stop when everybody around you is shouting, “Go, go, go!” like the Laker Girls from hell? West Virginia University researchers found that people’s stress levels dropped by 54 percent after a 2-month “mindfulness training” program—that is, simply paying more attention to the symptoms of stress, such as bunched-up muscles and fast, scattered thinking.

The good news: You don’t need a 2-month course. “Even minor adjustments can produce big benefits,” says Kimberly Williams, Ph.D., author of the study. This means paying attention if your thoughts begin to race or your breathing becomes shallow. And when you notice knots in your shoulders, you can . . .

Do the PC Stretch

With all due deference to Bill Gates, this is for everyone shackled to a friggin’ computer. “When we’re under stress, we usually lean forward to focus on what we’re doing,” says Neil Chasan, a physical therapist in Seattle. “This makes the muscles of the neck and lower back work harder—and they’re small to begin with.”

For quick relief, do what Chasan does when he’s deskbound: Clasp your hands behind your neck and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Now let your head fall forward so your chin is close to your chest, and bring your elbows together in front of you so they’re touching. Pull down with your hands for several seconds, then release. Repeat six to eight times whenever you’re knotted up.

Buy a New Multivitamin

Tomorrow, revise your morning routine to include your antistress pill. In a University of Birmingham study of men 18 to 42 years old, British researchers found that those who took a daily multivitamin high in vitamin C and all the B vitamins enjoyed a 21 percent drop in anxiety, while those popping a placebo actually felt more stressed. (Perhaps from feeling deceived.) Even better, the multi men also rated themselves less tired and more focused. The probable cause: Research has shown that B and C vitamins help reduce the effects of stress. If you want to try the multivitamin used in the study—Berocca—go to . Ninety pills will run you $40.

Throw Up Your Hands

And start juggling. “Juggling gets me out of my chair,” says Dr. Posen, admitting that his limited skills are actually helpful. “It’s hard to juggle without laughing at yourself.” Plus, it’s nearly impossible to think about work when you’re concentrating on juggling. And that’s the point: Regularly schedule 5 minutes of laughing distraction. Pick up Juggling for the Complete Klutz, beanbags included (about $10 on Amazon).

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The Benefits of Strength Training for Young Athletes

Training, Weekly Motivation

By Dr. Toni L. Thompson-Chittams

As the warmer weather approaches and young athletes begin training for fall sports, it’s important to know the risks and benefits of different types of training.
Seton Hall huddles up around their sophomore goalie. Credit Katie

 

Every spring—the second week of March to be exact—there is a rush for sports physicals for the young athletes. As a Pediatrician, I am often faced with the daunting task of determining who has a health risk that could preclude them from participating in competitive sports.

During the evaluation many parents ask, “Is my child ready for weight training?” I start the discussion by explaining the distinction between weight lifting and strength training.

Weight lifting involves rapid lifts. Because of the limited data on its safety and possible risk of injury to the immature skeleton, the American Academy of Pediatrics is opposed to the participation of children in the sport of weight lifting.

Strength training on the other hand uses resistance methods (for example tubing
bands) to increase ones ability to exert or resist force. There are numerous studies in pediatrics that have shown that strength training is effective in improving strength, endurance, and flexibility in the young athlete.

Strength training utilizes various types of resistance such as resistance bands, exercise balls, free weights, and ones own body weight. It should include aerobic conditioning and a 10-15 minute warm up and cool down. More importantly, strength training programs should have strict supervision by a certified instructor with pediatric experience who will teach proper techniques and safety methods, thus reducing the risk of injury.

The benefits of strength training can be seen in the overall health of the young athlete such as cardiac fitness, increasing bone mineralization and decreasing blood lipid profile. Furthermore, there are a few studies that have shown that strength training aimed at certain muscles of the body can play a role in reducing the incident of sport related injuries.

During the sports physical, I often emphasize that a strength training program does not equate to increased muscle mass. The young athlete who has not reached puberty tend to have low circulating androgens—a hormone that promotes the growth of skeletal muscle cells— and thus muscle mass can’t develop.

Strength training programs are generally safe however for certain individuals it may be contraindicated. Any child with a complex cardiac issue, hypertension, seizure disorders or receiving chemotherapy that effect the heart should be withheld from strength training programs until clearance is obtained by a physician.

Overweight adolescents may appear to be strong enough to participate in a strength training program however they should proceed with caution.

Because of the pressure to perform, there is an increase in the use of performance enhancing drugs.

These drugs include stimulants (Caffeine, Pseudoephedrine, and Ritalin etc.), anabolic steroids, growth hormones, and protein supplements (such as Creatine).  these drugs can lead to cardiovascular issues, kidney failure and testicular atrophy if taken in excess. Coaches, trainers and more importantly parents should be aware
of this issue and discuss it with their children.

Proper nutrition with adequate fluid intake should be encouraged. A multi-vitamin which contains Vitamin D,  Calcium (1300mg/day) and iron should be taken daily. Finally, sleep can improve physical and mental health, and is extremely important for young people, so encourage up to 8-12 hours of sleep per night.

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