Give Me An Alternative

Contributed by Joe Bocek, Fitness Director SPORT FIT Severna Park

Not too long ago I was attending a “destination wedding” for a friend of mine in Bermuda. When the wedding ended around 11 p.m., a few of us migrated over to the hotel bar. There we met a cargo pilot who regularly traveled all over the world and whose daughter, coincidentally enough, was also a personal trainer. I agreed with him when he said, “What a great job, helping people live a healthier life!”

Apparently Mr. Cargo Pilot had several medical considerations which led to him taking many pills to manage and help control his ailments. High blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol were just a few. “Give me an alternative,” he said. You see, Mr. Cargo Pilot is like so many other Americans with health-related ailments that are also life-threatening. In order to try to prevent these diseases from claiming his life, his doctor prescribes many different drugs. Why drugs? Because they are easier. For so many, good diet and exercise seem hard, so plan B is often taking multiple prescriptions. I am certain many of you reading this article right now are either on (or at one time was on) a prescription like these or you are close to someone who is.

Case in point: Let me tell you about one of my clients – I’ll call him “Ralph” – who came to me several years ago at the urging of his wife. Ralph, and his family, wanted an alternative. They wanted an alternative to the diabetes, the high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. They wanted an alternative to all the pills he was consuming on a daily basis. And most importantly, they wanted an alternative to putting all their hopes of this man’s life in a bottle of pills. Ralph was an average guy. He worked out consistently, not necessarily any harder than the next guy, just consistently. I’m pleased to say that during our time together, Ralph lost 75 pounds and more importantly had his doctor take him off his medication for his diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Ralph is a success story because he found an alternative, a healthier lifestyle.

The benefits of exercise are well stated. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) tell us those “benefits include a reduction in cardiovascular mortality, a reduction in symptoms, improvement in exercise tolerance and functional capacity, and improvement in psychologic well-being and quality of life. Exercise training programs significantly reduce overall mortality, as well as death due to myocardial infarction.” The well-known Internet website About.com explains, “Exercise is an important part of a healthy life, but when you have diabetes, exercise is essential for helping you manage the disease. Regular exercise helps you lose weight and keep it off. It also can help you lower your blood glucose levels and prevent serious complications, such as foot and lower extremity problems, eye disease and kidney disease.”

Now, I am not saying that starting an exercise routine or having a salad for lunch today will solve all your problems, but it’s definitely a start in the right direction. While some people do need medication no matter what changes they make to their lifestyle, choosing to lead a healthier lifestyle makes these diseases much more manageable.

For those of you ready for another option, a choice other than a life limited by health related illness and medical prescriptions, talk to your doctor about starting a healthy diet and exercise process. Tell him to “Give you an alternative!”