Save time, the environment, and your health

The Edmonton Journal reported a new study earlier in December that actually quantified yet another benefit of taking stairs over an elevator: stairs are faster. So now people have yet another reason to bypass the line for the elevator and get some fitness on their way to the office (or wherever the upward-bound destination happens to be) . This is even more important in our world today when the destination is an office chair, prolonged periods of sitting, and otherwise sedentary employment given the recent evidence that we should avoid excessive (sitting) "down" time.

The tables have turned: Look who's the experimental test subject now

For the past two years or so I have been participating in an MRI study examining the relationships between MS, disability, and iron in the brain. The study was headed up by my neurologist, Dr. Gregg Blevins and Dr. Alan Wilman, both from the University of Alberta. I also participated in the media release: click here to view Global Edmonton's piece.

When it comes to nutrition, we're on our own

The Canadian government cancelled a program to verify nutritional and purported health benefits of products sold in grocery stores. What does this mean for us, the consuming public? My take of this news is that it is all the more reason to stick to real, whole food, rather than packaged, processed nonsense that comes in beautiful packaging covered in slogans reflecting the latest health craze (omega 3 enriched [insert crappy food here], for instance).


UPDATE: Apparently, the government is "scaling back" testing, not cancelling it outright, as was originally reported (see first link in this post). None-the-less, consumers would do well to not purchase "food" that is packaged and touted as "heart healthy" etc. If the product needs marketing to sell it, you probably shouldn't but it. You don't often see any health claims on whole food in the produce section.

21.4 minutes or 4 years - you decide

This is my 100th blog post and it may be one of the most important I have written (some might argue that none up until now were important, so at least I am marking the 100th milestone by upping my game). 


Many people feel that they don't have adequate time to eat properly (i.e., eat real, actual food, not the latest cure-all supplement or meal replacement) or to exercise (read: move your body). Well, in a new study reported on today, that 21.4 minutes per day that you save not exercising (they recommend a paltry 150 minutes a week or 21.4 minutes a day) will cost you 4 years that you could have lived. It's your choice: 21.4 minutes per day of some form of activity, or meet your maker 4 years sooner. Moreover, consuming 5 or more servings per day of fruits and vegetables can also add an extra 1.3 years on average to your life. The arithmetic is simple: a little investment now will pay dividends later.

St. Albert Deliveries: Big Coulee Farms

Here is the content of the new delivery leaflet from Big Coulee Farms (BCF).

Please call to order: (780) 675-9458

We are coming to St. Albert Centre parking lot near Hwy. #2 in front of the Bay on the following dates from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. with orders only.

(Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Pork and Eggs)

October: 22
November: 5, 19
December: 4 & 17
January: 7, 21
February: 4, 18
March: 3, 17, 31
April: 14, 28
May: 5, 19
June: 2, 16, 30
July: 14, 28
August: 4, 18
September: 1, 15, 29
October: 6, 20
November: 3, 17
December 1, 15, 22

While product is available.

Please pay with cheque or exact cash. You will be contacted thre Friday before delivery with the amount of your order.

Stand UP!

Here's my most recent "invention" - a stand-up workstation in my departmental office. I have been using this for about a month and really enjoy it. I encourage all to give this a whirl. There have been recent studies related to the perils of all the sitting we do each day (see Mark Sisson's post here, for instance), so, I got off my keester, literally, and did something about it.

 I finally got around to posting this after seeing similar posts on Richard Nikoley's blog on John Durant's blog and with some prodding from one of my students (thanks to AM for that!).

Another reason to *not* sit too much. And here too (and the pressures between work and life).

Ethical livestock: Big Coulee Farms

This is the brochure for the family who raises our eggs and meat. Click on the following images for details of pricing and products available. You can check them out at the St. Albert Farmer's Market Starting in June. They also have bi-weekly deliveries available to St. Albert and also to Edmonton. Call Vicky for details.

It's all about you

People are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of good nutrition as a part of good overall health and well being. This is good. The problem is that everyone wants a quick fix to their problems, whether it is carrying too much weight, hypertension, digestive issues, or whatever. And they want their quick fix to "fit into" or to "work" with their very busy lives. 

But at the end of the day, the only person responsible for your health and wellness is you. Not your spouse, children, friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues, and certainly not spokespeople for the current "solution" du jour.

You. 

And while you may be busy, or busier than the next person whom you compare yourself with, you control your health choices. And if you make poor, or suboptimal decisions, do you know who is going to pay the price?

You.

Oh, your family, friends and the like will be saddened that you have to spend time with doctors, in hospital or whatever. But they'll get over it. Eventually. You may not. In fact, your choices may result in very serious consequences and even contribute in a very real way to your eventual demise.

Now I'm not claiming that I have always made excellent, or even mediocre decisions at some points, when it comes to my health and wellness. It has been a long, ever-evolving process. I have made plenty of missteps along the way. I like to delude myself into thinking that I have learned from them and will avoid them in the future. Who knows? Only time will tell. 

What I do know is that each one of us as individuals have to decide for ourselves how to make the most of our time here, and that nutrition plays a key role. And nutrition starts with the consumption of food. Real food. Not as Michael Pollan calls it, "food-like substances". Food.

My own road has led me to adopt a Primal/Paleo style diet, that is leading more and more towards strict Paleo (started with no grains, legumes, sugar, processed food, and now moving towards an elimination of dairy too). I feel great, eat great food, and exercise in a manner that is consistent with our evolutionary history. 

I encourage everyone to more carefully consider their health and wellness as the primary focus at the centre of their busy lives, and not something peripheral that only needs to be dealt with when an MD directs them to "eat healthier and get some exercise".

Here's some banana-almond pancakes as a reward for reading this long-winded post. 

sturdyteam registered for the MS Walk 2011!

sturdyteam at the 2011 St. Albert Enerflex MS Walk

It is time to start building an increased awareness of multiple sclerosis and to start fundraising again as the 2011 MS Walk is only 2 months away (15 May 2011). This year, we are participating in the Edmonton Enerflex MS Walk instead of the St. Albert MS Walk because of conflicts with the girls' dancing schedules. Like last year, we'll be doing the 10 km walk. Please click here to donate to sturdyteam or our individual members.

I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in May 2009. I am currently taking Copaxone, a standard MS disease modifying drug (DMD), via daily injections. Before this I was on Rebif for two stints, but it caused nasty side effects so I moved over to Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate is its generic name - Copaxone is the trade name used by Teva Pharmaceuticals).

Although there are many new therapies being researched and introduced all the time (here's a new pill-based therapy introduced in Canada just two days ago), my goal/hope is that research will be directed towards uncovering what causes MS so that people can avoid "modifying their disease" through DMDs and instead live a long, healthy life, free of MS. Here is an example of the direction I think we need to be pursuing more vigorously, especially the dietary suggestions that are in line with a Paleolithic diet (and related to a recent blog post of mine).