Carole Carson

Discovering the Athlete Within

When I undertook the task of re-inventing myself as a fit person, I had no idea what was involved. No high-minded principles guided me, nor did I adopt any particular program. Nor were my motives practical, for example, to improve my health.

Quite the opposite, my motives were shallow--I looked in the mirror and was too vain to accept the pudgy reflection. Only retrospectively can I figure out what happened.

First, I made an unconditional decision to change my lifestyle permanently. Second, I got help--from professionals (a personal trainer and lifestyle counselor) as well as from family and friends.

Next, I managed my thinking, especially about food. Instead of being grim, I explored new ways of cooking, challenging myself to eat well within caloric limitations.

The last step was discovering my latent athleticism. Somewhere along the exercise path, I stopped exercising to achieve its by-products--improved health, more energy, lower weight and a shapely figure. Instead, I just wanted to get better.

Practicing yoga, I wanted to improve my form. Working with weights, I wanted increased strength. Playing tennis, I wanted more consistency and an effective serve. Before I knew it, I was "in training."

Drs. Harvey Simon and Steven Levisohn, in their book The Athlete Within, say that "all of you can become athletes. Each of you has surprising potentials; most of you will never be sports stars, but all of you can greatly extend your horizons through careful planning and diligent training."

Initially, I was self-conscious in tennis clinics where many students were half my age. But the lure of becoming an athlete was irresistible--I surrendered. Today, instead of having to exercise, I have to limit activity so my body can rest, especially when I have a sports injury, like the back pain that's currently plaguing me. Taking a longer perspective, I reassure myself that I'll be back on the courts in a few weeks and more ambitious than ever.

Imagine my delight when I read that Clarence Chaffee, the tennis coach at Williams College, did not begin competing nationally until age 70. Since then, he's collected 48 national Super Senior' tennis titles. Or Albert Gordon, a well-known businessman and philanthropist, who entered his first marathon at 80, at which time he completed the difficult London Marathon in an excellent 6 hours and 30 minutes.

I'm not aiming this high, but I do want to become the best tennis player, gym-rat and yoga student I can be, independent of external recognition. Seeing the improvement in my athleticism, after 40 years of being out of shape, is its own reward.

Drs. Simon and Levisohn confirm, "If you exercise regularly and develop your potentials to their fullest, you will be a true athlete, even if you never win a race or compete on center court."

Lest you think you don't have time to exercise, as I once did, listen to Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby, 1873, who observed, "Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."

His perspective is confirmed by medical research coming at us from all directions. The way we live accounts in large part for how long we will live and how well we will live. The good news is that we are free to make choices about the way we live. Even better, if we've made poor lifestyle choices in the past, we're free to make adjustments today. If it isn't too late, our bodies will respond magnificently. Best of all, there's an athlete residing in each of us just waiting to come out and play.

When in Need, Pour Yourself a Drink

Of water, that is. Drinking water is an appropriate response to many of life’s impulses and cues.

 

Hungry? Drink water.

Thirsty? Drink water.

Tired? Drink water.

Dining out? Drink water.

Dining in? Drink water.

Rising? Drink water.

Retiring? Drink water.

Bored? Drink water.

Hot? Drink water.

Dehydrated? Drink water.

Irritable? Drink water.

Celebrating? Drink water.

Foggy? Drink water.

 

Get the idea? Water is good for us. That statement isn’t surprising since about 70 percent of our bodies are made up of water. Some experts consider water the most important factor in losing weight and keeping it off. Limiting liquid calories from sugar-sweetened drinks is an effective tool for losing weight or to avoid gaining weight, according to Dr. Benjamin Caballero of Johns Hopkins University writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

 

And here’s more good news: water is affordable and well within our reach.

 

If you agree that water is good for us, I suggest we tip our glasses and have a drink or two to celebrate.

 

 

 

 

"Water is the only drink for a wise man."                            Henry David Thoreau

 

What Is the Commonest Outdoor Injury and How Can It Be Prevented?

As coach for the AARP Fat 2 Fit online nommunity, I ask experts to share their insight on issues involving fitness. One such expert is Dr. Paul Auerbach, one of the world’s leading authorities on outdoor medicine.

I asked Dr. Auerbach, “What’s the commonest outdoor injury and how can it be prevented?” His answer follows:

Blisters are common outdoor injuries for people who are trying to increase their activity by walking, jogging or hiking. Follow these guidelines to prevent blisters:

1. Socks: Wear a smooth, thin, snug-fitting synthetic sock as an inner layer and a thick, woven sock as an outer layer.

2. Shoes: Make sure shoes or boots fit properly and comfortably. Fit shoes in the evening because feet tend to swell throughout the day. Allow ample time to break in new footwear. Try on your shoes with the same socks you will be wearing on the trails.

3. Treatment: The best protection for a blister is its own roof. To assist in protecting this roof, apply a small adhesive bandage or pad either at the beginning of the day on an area susceptible to blistering or as soon as a hot spot develops.

4. Protection: Blist-O-Ban bandages (by SAM Medical Products), Micropore paper tape, cloth tape, Elastikon elastic tape, moleskin, Spenco 2^nd Skin Blister Pads, Band-Aid Blister Block and duct tape can be used as barriers to prevent blister development or to protect the roof of a blister.

With a little footwear planning and care, you can avoid most blisters, and you will be able to continue merrily on your outdoor adventure.

Dr. Auerbach’s practical advice will keep us moving in comfort as we walk off those surplus pounds. With a few precautions, we can safely enjoy our “green” exercise.

Paul Auerbach, MD

Dr. Paul Auerbach, professor of surgery in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, is the author of Medicine for the Outdoors, Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine, Diving the Rainbow Reefs, Management Lessons from the E.R. and Bad Medicine. Paul edits the textbook Wilderness Medicine and serves as anational medical consultant on hazardous marine animals to the Divers Alert Network. Dr. Auerbach is also the chief medical officer and chair of the Medical Advisory Board for Healthline Networks, where he hosts a blog entitled Medicine for the Outdoors.

A Home Gym on the Cheap

At a time when many of us are constrained financially, any idea that helps us manage our budget is welcome. No doubt this reality was why I was invited to demonstrate my low-cost home gym on KGO-TV ABC Channel 7’s afternoon program The View from the Bay.

The show is taped live in San Francisco, and I live three hours north in the Sierra foothills, so it wasn’t practical to transport my entire home gym. But I brought enough items that viewers could get the idea and even expand on the list through their own ingenuity.

I demonstrated the following items:

• A luggage strap for stretching hamstrings ($6)

• Two hand weights for strengthening the upper body ($20)

• A wood pole for improving back flexibility ($3)

• A throw from my living room that doubles as a mat ($10)

The hosts of the program, Janelle Wang and Spencer Christian, were good sports as I put them through lower back and hamstring exercises. You can see them struggling through the different poses here.

Even when money is not an issue, home gyms are particularly useful for caretakers or those pressed for time. They also are a good alternative for those who find the gym an intimidating environment or who feel embarrassed about their body. Whatever one’s reason for exercising at home, in this economy, ideas that involve a low-cost approach to fitness are worth considering.

"He who will not economize will have to agonize."                         Confucius

Sex, Viagra and Other Matters of the Heart

Not every board-certified cardiologist wants to challenge the mantle of 80-year-old Dr. Ruth, a psychotherapist who pioneered frank discussions about sex. But Dr. David Sabgir is no ordinary cardiologist.

According to Dr. Sabgir, the topic of sex comes up a lot in his daily practice. “I get asked about Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis 10 times a day, and most of the questions are coming from the ladies. It's hard to keep a straight face in the office when my 103-year-old patient asks for a Viagra script.”

But what does a patient’s interest in sex have to do with fitness? “A lot,” asserts Dr. Sabgir. “There are multiple reasons why walking, running, biking or swimming lead to better loving.”

  

According to Dr. Sabgir, exercise has at least 87,431 benefits. Here are just a few of the reasons Dr. Sabgir says exercise makes “sexy time” (movie character Borat) so much better:

 

• Exercise firms up your abs, butt and thighs.  Improving your appearance and self-esteem will make you more willing to get a little “frisky” (celebrity Zsa Zsa Gabor).

• The enhanced blood flow created by exercise is important for preventing erectile dysfunction, elevating mood and helping to manage the stress in your life, and these benefits result in increased “hanky panky” (Jack Tripper of Three’s Company). According to research reported in the June 23, 2004, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, exercise and a reduced-calorie diet help correct erectile dysfunction in obese men. Another study noticed a 30 percent reduction in erectile dysfunction with regular exercise.

• Testosterone is produced naturally in both men and women and is responsible for sexual arousal. Regular exercise increases testosterone production. 

Unlike Dr. Ruth who assumes a public persona, Dr. Sabgir is an extremely private person. Because of his concern for appearances, Dr. Sabgir respectfully requests that what he says in this article stay in this article. I’ve included his request, but frankly, how will he know if you share this article with your lover?

Author’s Note: A pioneer himself, Dr. David Sabgir created the Walk with a Doc program in Lewis Center, Ohio, to encourage his patients to get moving. Weekends find Dr. Sabgir and other healthcare professionals leading community walks, followed by refreshments and fellowship.

Hattie Somerville: My Hero

No matter what our age or station in life, everyone needs a hero. Someone to look up to. Someone who inspires us. Someone whose qualities we wish to emulate. Seventy-five-year-old Hattie Somerville is such a person for me.

I met Hattie, along with her husband, John, about 10 years ago in Kauai. John and Hattie organized informal tennis events and paired up vacationers with residents for hours of social but competitive play at the Poipu Kai Tennis Club. Hattie also taught clinics that I faithfully attended, and she occasionally filled in if we were missing a fourth player.

Over time, I learned that Hattie was a native of Hawaii. Born in a sugar mill dispensary in Paia, Maui, she was the daughter of Prescott Metcalf and Harriet Collins and was named after the famous entertainer Hilo Hattie, a family friend. Hattie recalls that her father, a real estate businessman, also wrote and performed music.

In the ’40s, Hawaii was the destination resort for many rich, famous and beautiful people. Arriving on the well-appointed Matson ocean liners the Lurline and Matsonia were stars such as Hedy Lamarr, Betty Grable, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart as well as famously wealthy families, like the Vanderbilts. Guests typically stayed at the beautiful Royal Hawaiian or Moana Hotel in Honolulu.

Life was not entirely idyllic. Along with Sandra, her younger sister, Hattie watched the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor while sitting on the roof of her home on the outskirts of Honolulu. Unfamiliar with airplanes or the sights and sounds of bombs, Hattie thought she was watching fireworks. Her mother quickly brought the two girls into the house for safety before leaving to work as a Red Cross volunteer amidst the carnage wreaked by the bombing.

Hattie learned the game of tennis as a child. Her parents, along with the parents of the other children in the neighborhood shared one court. To reserve the court for themselves, the parents tried to persuade the children that tennis was an adult game and that the children should spent their time swimming, playing cards and drinking orange soda. But the parental attempt to make tennis off-limits made the game even more appealing.

The children figured out that once cocktail hour began, the court was theirs. They organized themselves into two teams of seven and played until the sun went down. Once Hattie started playing, she never stopped. By the time she was in high school, she was playing competitively.

Hattie and five of her classmates attended Briarcliffe College in Westchester County, New York, because her parents and her friends’ parents thought that the East Coast was the only place one could obtain a worthwhile education. Airline travel was new, and the arduous trip to begin her freshman year took 17 hours to complete.

Hattie returned to Hawaii after college and began working as a receptionist for a home insurance company. As a young, single woman, she was invited to be the date of the visiting Jordanian King Hussein. The party was hosted by then Governor Bill Quinn, a friend of Hattie’s family. While riding to the event in the limousine, King Hussein showed Hattie photographs of his world in Jordan, including his favorite horses. When they arrived and the limousine door opened, the pictures went flying. When the governor good-naturedly greeted the king and Hattie, he found the two of them crawling around on the floor of the limousine. They quickly explained that they were gathering photographs.

A few years later, at age 28, Hattie, needing a fourth for tennis, approached a player on a nearby court. The player, John Somerville, would later become her husband. Together they would have four children—daughters Hannah and Betsy and twin boys Henry and Jim. While raising their family, Hattie and John would spend their careers on various islands as tennis club managers and instructors.

After a lifetime of competing in over 500 tournaments, Hattie has dozens of trophies, and she continues to compete. Because of the demanding competition, Hattie considers the bronze ball (third place) she won in the women’s national hard-court competition (age category 65) in Newport Beach, California the toughest award to win. Her personal favorites are winning three gold balls (first place) in 2001, 2003 and 2006 in the national mother-daughter grass-court competitions played at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

This fall, Hattie will compete in the Olympic Games for seniors held at Stanford University in both singles and doubles’ tennis. The event will draw 15,000 competitors and over 35,000 spectators.

Hattie’s ongoing training and preparation for competitive play consists of swimming (one hour) and tennis (one to two hours) each day combined with weight training and running on alternate days. Hattie continues to attend tennis clinics to improve her game.

What inspires me about Hattie is her constancy. After six decades, she’s still learning, growing and competing in the demanding sport of tennis. She’s witnessed enormous changes—from the first airplanes to jet aircraft, from a few radio stations to dozens of television channels, from phonographs to iPods and from typewriters to e-mails and computers. Yet one element remains from her childhood to the present: her love of staying fit and playing tennis.

Hattie recently celebrated her 75th birthday with a heart-healthy Valentine’s party. Dressed in pink or red, a few dozen of her friends, including me streamed to the courts at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, February 13, for an informal tennis round robin, followed by a potluck lunch. After playing all morning, we gathered in a circle and held hands. Standing together, we heard a blessing in Hawaiian before enjoying our meal, complete with Valentine’s Day chocolate cookies, candies and cakes. We each left with a red rose pen and a memory of the special day.

Hattie has one of the most beautiful tennis styles I’ve ever witnessed. She floats like a butterfly on the court and moves like a dancer, transforming her opponent into her dance partner. According to Hattie, “Part of the challenge of the game is to make sure your opponent has a good time. Hitting the ball back and forth is like a good conversation,” she says. “It’s the exchange that is most satisfying.”

Her disciplined fitness program, calm spirits, graceful tennis game and enthusiasm for learning and growing make Hattie my hero. I want to be like her when I grow up.

Dubbed “An Apostle for Fitness” by the Wall Street Journal, Carole Carson is the author of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction, which chronicles her own 62-pound weight loss and the inspirational Nevada County Meltdown. Visit www.fromfat2fit.com for more information.

Three Ways to Avoid a Broken Heart

Our heart—that quiet, understated partner—will beat 36,500,000 times in 2009. To avoid a broken heart, we need to listen to its message before it’s too late.

Why do we need to listen? Because one out of every three Americans (nearly 81 million), suffers from some form of cardiovascular disease, a condition that encompasses not only heart attacks, but also strokes, aneurysms and atherosclerosis.

Over the past seven years, we’ve witnessed significant progress in the treatment of heart disease. This progress has resulted in a lowered death rate, so much so that cancer is projected to overtake heart disease in 2010 as the number one cause of death in the United States.

But cancer’s promotion to the spot of #1 killer is hardly cause for celebration since the toll from heart disease remains high. Approximately half a million individuals die each year from cardiovascular diseases. Seniors, parents, spouses and even children are its victims.

If our hearts could speak, they’d tell us to take good care of our health not only during American Heart Month, but throughout the year. If you’re ready to listen, consider these three tips (FIT):

F: Focus on maintaining a positive outlook, a grateful attitude, enriching relationships and satisfying work. Attaining and sustaining good mental health protects your physical health.

I: Invest 30-60 minutes a day in exercise. Researchers report that exercise, even for those who are only slightly overweight, can reduce the risk of heart disease. For those who are overweight or obese, exercise becomes even more essential to reduce the risk of heart disease.

T: Take off the extra weight. Even a few extra pounds increase the risk of heart disease. In one study of 21,000 men, researchers found that every pound of extra weight increased risk. The chubbier participants faced a 180 percent increase in the odds of developing the heart disease.

According to Dr. David Sabgir, Ohio-based board certified cardiologist and founder of the Walk With a Doc program, “Notwithstanding the wonderful advances in treatment, prevention remains the safest, most reliable and least expensive way to avoid cardiovascular disease. Plus, patients who adopt healthful habits to protect their heart (such as exercising regularly and losing weight) are simultaneously protecting themselves from other health problems.

As part of your prevention program, consider heart-friendly ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Instead of devouring a box of chocolates sitting in front of the television, take the hand of your loved one and go for a walk. If you give gifts, consider a pedometer or heart monitor. These are gifts that truly show how much you care.

And while you’re at it, get a one for yourself. When we take care of our health, we reduce our chances for a broken heart. Not only do we set a positive example for others, we also improve the odds that we’ll have many more future Februarys to enjoy with family and friends.

"You can create more opportunities by asking for them"                Patty Hansen

Backsliding or Thin for Life?

Don’t we all know someone who had lost 30 pounds, swore to never regain the weight and then regained that much and more? Or someone who had exercised regularly, suffered an injury and then became a weight-gaining couch potato?

These stories worried me, especially when a back injury threw me off track. Unable to play tennis, work out at the gym or practice yoga, I was limited to therapeutic pool walking. Distressed and irritable with pain, I found it easy to turn to friends in the refrigerator for comfort.

In this disquieted state, I discovered a book, Thin for Life, that distills the wisdom gleaned from 160 people who lost a minimum of 20 pounds (many lost much more) and kept it off.

The author, Anne Fletcher, MS, RD, wrote the book because she was discouraged by the notion that weight gain always follows weight loss. She set out to find the secrets of those who beat the odds. The author defined maintenance as not just reaching a weight goal but maintaining a healthful lifestyle of nutritious eating, regular exercise and positive relationships.

She found no single formula. Half of the people were in structured commercial programs, such as Weight Watchers, and half achieved results on their own. Even when the individuals were in a program, however, they owned it by modifying the program to suit cultural food preferences and participating in ways suited to their lifestyle.

Some lost weight acquired as children, a fact that disproves the notion that childhood obesity dooms adults. Challenging the idea of hopelessness, most had tried before and failed. They didn’t starve themselves either; they ate often and well. The individuals didn’t become compulsive exercise fanatics, although they did exercise regularly.

The fact that many were in their 50s and 60s invalidates the myth that losing weight becomes impossibly difficult as one ages. Many reached lengthy plateaus before they broke through to their ideal weight. At some point, most regained a few pounds before correcting course and returning to the desired range.

Overarching everything was the faith the people had in themselves. Despite past failures, they believed they would succeed and assumed 100 percent responsibility for results.

Each person accepted the reality of a critical food fact: if more calories are consumed than expended, weight gain occurs. Consequently, he or she looked realistically at what would make eating enjoyable and sustainable—even if favorites weren’t included at every meal.

Each had a plan for the inevitable relapse. No longer a surprise, relapses were simply part of the process. Instead of beating themselves up, the individuals picked themselves up and resumed their program.

Everyone also accepted a body fact: use it or lose it. All followed exercise regimens that took into account age, interests and available time. When injuries occurred, they didn’t quit but rather modified their regimen and continued.

Unwilling to retreat into the comfort of food, each increasingly learned to face life head-on. Sources of pleasure and recreation were expanded. Satisfying activities were introduced, while self-limiting jobs or relationships, for example, were discontinued.

These individuals shared another common bond—they had a supporter who lauded their efforts and encouraged them when they despaired. Some purchased support in the form of trainers or commercial programs. Others relied on friends, colleagues, family or prayer. Independent of source, support was essential. Each person realized the task was too daunting to be accomplished alone.

My experience in losing weight and keeping it off is reassuringly consistent with Ann Fletcher’s research. The myth of inevitable gain following weight loss is replaced with concrete, practical steps that each of us can implement into our daily routines. Adopting a sensible, livable eating and exercise regimen is within our grasp. Knowing this truth enlightens our outlook and lightens the scale.

"We all have a few failures under our belt. It's what makes us ready for the successes."                    Randy K. Milholland

Penny-Wise and “Pounds”-Foolish: Weighing Our Options

“Most people,” Dan Kadlec says, “save for retirement by focusing on their wealth. But you may accomplish more by focusing on your health.” In his article in “From Health to Wealth” in the September 22, 2008, issue of Time magazine, Dan makes the argument that out-of-pocket costs for avoidable diseases resulting from lifestyle choices, such as smoking and acquiring surplus weight, can cost retirees tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

His words resonated with me. Six years ago, I was a classic case of a woman who was penny-wise and “pounds”-foolish. Focused on the demands of running my own company while heading a single-parent household, I put personal needs on hold. I had two clear financial goals: provide for my family and save for retirement. To realize those goals, I worked hard, sometimes taking two jobs. The results were predictable: as my portfolio increased, so did my waistline. Adding a pound or two a year, I loaded 60 surplus pounds on my five-foot-two-inch frame. I was hopelessly out of shape.

Soon the effects of those pounds and my sedentary lifestyle began catching up with me. I noticed recurring chest pain, and I suffered from repeated infections. Several of the more serious problems landed me in the hospital. Those expensive hospitalizations should have been wake-up calls, but they weren’t. Instead, I treated my doctor like an auto mechanic, with my body filling in for the car in the service bay. I told her to fix me up and pressured her to get me on my feet as quickly as possible so I could continue as before.

While I worried about whether I had enough wealth to last, I should have been worrying about whether I had enough health to last. This became clear to me later when I learned that my family medical history and lifestyle placed me in the 90th percentile for risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. If I had continued on that path, my fate would have been sealed. What a cosmic joke it would have been if I didn’t last long enough to enjoy my nest egg—except the humor would have been lost on me.

A humiliating but fortuitous accident caused me to make changes while I still could—before the consequences of my habits disabled or killed me. On an otherwise ordinary morning, I stepped on the bathroom scale and, when it reached 178 pounds, it broke—literally. When I weighed myself the following day on a new (and more accurate) scale, the message was even worse: 183 pounds!

I wasn’t fat; I was obese. In that moment, I decided to get fit once and for all. Past failures at dieting loomed large. Swallowing my pride (at least it had no calories), I made two decisions: I would get help, and I would invest in the care of my body, just as I had invested in my business and family.

I hired a personal trainer, went to the local health club, bought sports gear and began playing tennis. To help me make choices that would increase my energy, keep me mentally alert and physically sound and promote a sense of well-being, I met with a lifestyle counselor at a local hospital’s wellness center. I also decided to chronicle my week-by-week experiences in the local newspaper, complete with photographs and measurements.

Six months later, what I saw on the scale was as shocking to me as what I had seen there all those months ago: I had lost 62 pounds—and regained my self-respect.

My example had an unexpected impact on my neighbors and friends. When I invited the community to join me in getting fit, hundreds of people responded with a resounding “Yes!” Together we became known as the “Nevada County Meltdown.” Over a thousand people met each week for two months in the pursuit of fitness. We had tons of fun while we lost tons of weight. Our total loss—7,509 pounds—was the equivalent of one school bus with passengers. Or, in different terms, we disappeared the equivalent of 40 people. Just as importantly, by working together to tackle obesity, we restored civic pride—the Nevada County Meltdown put the unity in community.

Our small foothill community in Northern California did its part to reduce the rising cost of medical care. In 2007, the annual spending on health care in the United States reached $2.3 trillion. To put it in individual terms, the average medical expenditure for a person in 1960 was $143. By 2007, the expenditure was $7,600 and it continues to rise.

According to Dan Kadlec, reducing our personal health-care costs needs to be the first priority for those saving for retirement. The majority of us are overweight (two-thirds according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and surplus pounds contribute to the incidence of all of the major diseases and disabilities, from heart disease and diabetes to stroke and cancer. As our waistlines balloon, so do the costs for our medical care. But we can reverse this trend if enough of us commit to healthier lifestyles. If we’re serious about protecting our portfolio, we need to quit smoking, lose weight and get moving.

Don’t be like me, penny-wise and “pounds”-foolish. Don’t wait until your options run out. That pivotal moment is never announced; it quietly passes by and is recognized only after it is too late. Make changes while you still can.

None of us can be certain what the future holds. That’s why we need insurance. But we can improve the odds of maintaining our health and independence if we make fitness an everyday matter. When we weigh the options, our goals are clear. Just as we monitor the state of our financial portfolio, we must also monitor the health and well-being of our “physical” portfolio. You and I need to smarten up and lighten up so we can all enjoy and share the health.

"It is human nature to think wisely and act foolishly."                                Anatole France

Note: This article, titled “Penny-Wise But Pound-Foolish: Weighing The Options, appeared September 22, 2008 on www.basilandspice.com.