TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Fight Financial Fear With Fun Fitness

ADVERTISEMENT

By SIGRID TIDMORE Special to the Tribune By SIGRID TIDMORE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 6, 2008

As one who follows the Tribune stories, I've observed that lately the news seems to be making people sick ("Financial Fears Take Toll On Health Practices," April 24).

Struck with financial fear over bleak economic predictions, war, global warming and gas/food/water/crisis de jour, people are getting distracted from caring for themselves. Add multi-tasking and constant communication (cell phones, e-mail, text messages), it can seem like there's no safe haven in which to catch our breath. Our 24/7 society is getting to us.

It's said man is the only animal that runs faster the more he gets lost. When the world starts to feel crazy, we're likely to skip the brisk walk and perpetuate the craziness on our health - munching through a whole bag of Cheetos or drowning our anxieties at a bar and smoking a pack of cigarettes. It's a throw-back to caveman times when we fattened up if we thought we thought hard times were ahead, but that formula doesn't work for us today.

With unemployment rising and nest eggs shrinking, we have to do more with less, at work and at home. All too often our reaction to the perceived threat plays havoc with our diets, exercise routines, and getting a good night's rest. We'll quit our gym membership to save money, but not take up walking to compensate.

This has negative implications for health and wellness and ultimately for our pocketbooks. Diabetic tendencies that were controlled by diet and exercise, now manifest symptoms that require doctors and drugs. Without exercise, self-esteem also suffers. At a time when we're already stressed, and need to be at the top of our game more than ever, we feel sluggish and moody.

It is easy to let negative news create a climate of fear, arousing our response mechanisms so they are turned on much of the time. Adrenaline is fine in short bursts for fight or flight, but a steady flow wears down our hearts, nerves and personal power. The best solution would be to burn it off with exercise and repair the damage with good nutrition and rest. But all too often, we choose to abuse ourselves instead.

The challenge is finding motivation to take control of our health when faced with distressing news - real or perceived. Smoking cessation experts have shown that the best motivation for people to kick that insidious habit is a rise in cost and inconvenience. If that's true, the increased cost and hassle of health care should more than motivate individuals to pursue personal wellness.

Healthy Together is a nonprofit, social enterprise dedicated to motivating people to make healthy choices and connecting them to wellness solutions. We run a variety of programs that address community wellness and workplace wellness by collaborating with business, nonprofit and governmental members.

Beginning in June, we have organized a variety of organizations to participate in Prime Time Sister Circles - a 12-week, esteem-building support group program that motivates participants to make enduring personal health decisions.

The program has been customized for African-American women, a group dying of preventable causes at rates far higher than any other. Even though these women represent one of the most economically stressed populations, studies have shown that practicing simple self-care can radically improve their health over the long term.

While many of us are trying to figure out how to hunker down and survive trends beyond our control, we are well advised to control things that are within our power. Bad news is cause for extra personal care. We make the choice, or pay the consequences.

Sigrid Tidmore is the president for Healthy Together Tampa Bay. You can contact her, or find out more about community wellness programs at www.Healthy-Together.org.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT