SECRETS
They Never Told Me
A Magician Discovers the
Secrets to Good Health
Illusionist & School
Prevention Speaker
“Mr. Jim” Merrills
© 2009
[BACK COVER]
If you want to feel and look great, then open this little book and
start reading! Inside you will find the secrets of healthy-living that are
waiting to be unveiled. By taking a close look at what we eat, you will see how
easily we are deceived when it comes to food!
“Mr. Jim” Merrills is a school-based prevention speaker
and illusionist. He has addressed over one-million students on the topics of
healthy living and substance abuse, in ways that young people can understand
and appreciate.
CONTENTS
FORWARD 3
FIT FOR A KING! 5
SO WHAT’S THE
“BIG” DEAL? 8
WE CALL IT: FOOD 12
PACKED AND READY TO EAT! 15
VROOOOM!!! 18
FAT MAN! 23
“GOT WATER?” 27
ADD ‘EM UP! 30
THERE YOU ARE! 34
“TOWER, WE’RE LOSING
AIR!” 40
YOU DON’T WANT TO MEET HER! 44
THE ABC’S 47
MOVING ON UP! 51
FORWARD
(You’re supposed to read this.)
Let me begin by saying, Relax.
This little book is not a lecture. Nor will I scold you for eating the
“wrong” or “junk” food. Trust me, this is not some sort
of technical manual filled with boring reports and scientific findings. (If it
were, I would have fallen asleep writing it!)
This book is about a problem that I now see everywhere; and it
affects everyone, including you and me. But if we only talk about the problem, that won’t help us—it certainly
didn’t help me. Inside this little book you will discover just how BIG
the problem is. But, even better, you will discover some of the best solutions
for dealing with it.
So, who I am? I am known to tens of thousands of students (K-12),
as “Mr. Jim.” I have been speaking to children, teens, and parents
about being drug and alcohol free and making healthy choices, for years. Like
anyone else, I like to have fun. So I speak about these topics during my school
magic shows, magic camps, physical education programs, and other activities.
Years ago, I decided to use these enjoyable activities as an opportunity to
warn students about things that can hurt or negatively impact their lives. This
is why I decided to write this little book, Secrets
They Never Told Me.
In recent years, I have observed (and so has everyone in
What do I know about this problem, or fixing it? First, I’ll
admit that I don’t know everything, I’m learning more every day.
But serving as a pre-counselor in the U.S. Army and a director/counselor for
substance abuse counseling, I learned that many of the problems that people
face are directly related to what they eat, and how they feel and
look—problems like self-esteem, attitude, stress, emotions, and health in
general.
Frankly, I think I’m pretty healthy. And you probably think
that you are healthy too. But as a magician, I know how easy it is to be deceived. In a magic show, you see only
what the magician wants you to see. Even under close scrutiny, everything may appear
to be normal. But then all of a
sudden…POOF! You discover that you have been fooled!
For many of us, our health is sort of like that magic trick. Most
of the foods that we eat look or taste good. And that is where the
deception often enters in. Over the next few pages, I’m going to pull
back the curtains open and reveal some of the secrets that I have learned. Some
secrets should be told, and this is one of them.
“Mr.
Jim”
FIT FOR A KING!
(or
is it?)
King James! My name
sounds pretty cool when you say it like that! Of course, we do not serve a king
in the
Now think back for a moment. Can you recall some of the medieval
movies you have watched? Can you picture the king? I can. He was robed in royal
clothes and sat on a huge throne. Of course, he was treated like royalty. He
was the king—“top dog” of the kingdom!
But there’s a small detail in that royal picture that
usually escapes our attention. The king’s throne was big; his royal robe was big;
and the turkey leg he was chomping on was big.
And so was the king! Just as a
magician uses misdirection to mislead
the audience, so too is our attention misdirected. We become so absorbed with
all the royal “niceties” that comes with being a king that we fail
to notice that the king has become a product of his kingly environment! In other words, when we add the combination of
the rich foods set before him daily (sweet, fat, and tasty) and his lack of
exercise (he only had to lift his finger and things happened), is it really a
big surprise that the king is overweight?
Honestly, if you live like
a king you will look like a king? I
know, because I started too!
In high school, I weighed about 160 pounds—I ate like a
horse, but I was active, playing in after-school sports. When I joined the
Army, I weighed about 180 pounds. I continued to eat like a horse in the
Army’s “chow line,” but I did long-distance running
(especially through the towns in
Naturally, I ignored their rude comments pointing out that I only
looked “fat” when I stood next to them. (They were skinny!) And
then one day I was passing by a store window when I caught a very stunning and
uncomfortable glimpse of my reflection—I saw a man with a well-rounded
belly! “Oh, my” I said to myself! “That’s MY
reflection?” I wanted to believe that the glass was slightly warped, like
the funny-mirror at the carnival. But the truth had hit home.
The combination of name-calling (that’s what “fat
man” is), seeing my bulging profile in that window, and then seeing the
number “239.5” staring up at me from the bathroom scale, all caused
me to stop and think hard about
myself. It was obvious that if I didn’t take control of my weight, and
the eating habits that I had developed over time, kids would soon mistake me
for Santa at my Christmas magic shows!
Yes, I enjoyed living like a king, but for too long. I ate what I wanted. I ate anytime I wanted. I ate as
much as I wanted. My uncle had warned me when I was younger, “You
won’t be able to eat like that forever!”
There are lots of voices in the world today inviting—nay,
begging!—us to live like kings and queens, to treat ourselves like royalty. But they truth is, they
don’t care about you—they don’t know you! They have one goal:
to sell you food. Consequently, you
need to know which foods are the best for your body. You must decide which foods you will eat, which ones will make you
strong and fit. You (not the cashier
in the store, the server in the restaurant, or the lady in the school-line)
have to take responsibility, because you will have to live with the decisions
that you make.
Don’t make the mistake that I did. Make the decision now to live and be your best!
Final thoughts:
· If you continue to eat like a king,
you’ll soon look like one.
· It’s pretty easy to gain weight;
it’s harder to lose it.
· Our eyes and ears can be easily
misdirected and deceived. Pay close attention to the messages in the world.
· Ultimately, it is YOU who is responsible
for YOUR health.
SO WHAT’S THE
“BIG” DEAL?
BIG is the big deal. Many fast-food businesses tell us that the “real
deal” is found in bigger
purchases; the “bigger the better” is heard almost everywhere
today. Big is “in”!
We are hit by advertisements from almost every direction.
We’re being invited to eat, and feel, like a king. From burgers to candy
bars, the “king size” portion is in. And if that isn’t
enough, our landscape is now dotted with buffets, with three or four lines of
food—an all-you-can-eat feast,
fit for a king! Perhaps the idea originally was more variety. But I see too
many people walking out holding their bellies and moaning in pain, thinking
they really got their money’s worth. Yes, I have done it too, and you
probably did too.
You can be sure about one thing: food businesses and their
advertisers really are not primarily concerned about your weight, your health
or your appearance. (Once again, they
don’t know you.) Their number one concern is selling food, and lots of
it. They don’t care if you become overweight, or become unhealthy. They
simply want your money, and they hope you “Come back soon!”
This is one reason why doctors and other medical people push for
more nutritional information on our food. They know that an increase in processed food (that means, it’s
processed in a factory) results in more heart-attacks and diseases. They want
us to know what really in the food we’re eating. It’s a very good
thing that someone is paying attention!
Think about that king for a moment. Do you suppose he did a lot of
walking? Jogging? Played basketball in his royal court? I doubt it! His weight
would have “benched” him! But that would only be the beginning of his problems. Like a
bad magic trick, he’ was a walking deception—at risk for heart
disease, and dying young. By his diet, the king was gambling with his life and
didn’t know it!
Now you may be surprised to learn that the king is not alone.
Amazingly, over half of all Americans
are overweight (by 10 to 30 pounds)
or obese (more than 30 pounds).
It’s no wonder then that 1-out-of-3 adults have high blood
pressure—their lives are like ticking time-bombs! (Try to imagine that
the next time you look over a crowd of people.) And if that news wasn’t
bad enough, we know that heart attacks, which are just one type of heart
disease, take away a staggering four-thousand
lives a day! That’s 4,000!
But people don’t have to wait until their “old”
kings and queens to become overweight, or feel uncomfortable about their
bodies. According to the World Health
Organization, there are 17 million
overweight children (wait, I’m not finished with my sentence yet) under
the age of five! There’s more! The number of overweight children,
here in the good ole’
Before we move on, I want to point out that advertising can be a
two-edged sword. Rather than enticing us with food, it can also encourage
people (teenage girls in particular) to starve
themselves in the hope of looking thin. At a time in their lives when girls
need a lot of nutrients, like calcium and vitamins, to grow healthy, many are
going on diets. Caught between the magazine covers which feature thin models and the fad diets that are
advertised inside, it’s not hard to see why so many girls are lured by
these powerful little billboards. After all, many think, I don’t want to
be teased for appearing overweight?
Perhaps you’re wondering if I ever gave my daughters an
ice-cream cone. Yes, I certainly have. But I have often said “No”
to candy and junk-food. (I have to pay the dentist bills!) Seriously, why would
I want my daughters to develop poor eating habits and gain the big belly that I fought to lose? Naturally, I want the
best for them. And I want the best for you also.
Final thoughts:
· “Big” is not always best.
· Being overweight can hurt you now, and in the future.
· Be wary of advertisements. The companies
have one bottom-line in mind, and it’s
not you.
WE CALL IT, FOOD
Imagine for a moment that an alien has just landed in your
backyard. As it exits the spaceship, it points to its mouth indicating that it
is hungry. Not wanting to become the alien’s next meal, you run inside
your house to find some food. After throwing a few items into a grocery bag,
you run back to the spaceship and dump the contents out at its feet. The alien
gazes down over the various packages, picks up a box, examines it for a moment,
and then asks, “What is a doughnut?”
What is a doughnut? Actually, a doughnut is kind of like an alien
for many children. They’re not exactly sure where it came from, or what
it’s made of. I don’t want you to lose any sleep over the doughnut,
but you really should know what you
are eating. What exactly is that “treat” in your lunch bag? What
did they put in the can of pop you are drinking? In short, what exactly is this
stuff that we call ‘food’?
Let’s begin with the basics. Natural foods come from one of four food groups. These are:
· fruits
and vegetables (they
provide vitamins/minerals/fiber)
· grain,
breads and cereals (they
give us energy)
· milk,
cheese and dairy products (they
provide calcium)
· meats,
fish and legumes (beans) (they
provide protein)
Think about a pizza. Are any of the natural food groups used to
make it? I enjoy a slice of
Now consider the candy bar, cream-filled snack-cake and soda pop.
Obviously, these items do not fall solidly into one of the primary food groups.
They are not natural—candy bars
don’t grow on vines (like grapes), snack cakes don’t grow out of
the ground (like carrots, asparagus or watermelon), and soda cans don’t
grow on trees (like oranges). So where did these unnatural foods come from?
Quite simply, someone has taken a variety of ingredients, some
from one of the four food groups, added other substances, and then processed
them through a machine to create something “new and improved,” or
so they tell us. The
“other” stuff may include:
sugar
(to make it really sweet!)
salt
(to enhance the flavor)
preservatives (so it won’t spoil quickly)
oils and/or fats (to hold all the ingredients together)
artificial flavorings (to create a special taste)
spices
(to enhance the taste)
artificial coloring (to make the new “food” look good)
Now then, the body needs food from the four primary food groups
for fuel, to give our bodies the energy to function efficiently (just as a car
needs gas to go and oil to keep things running smoothly). The four food groups
are the building-blocks for a healthy and strong body. Un-natural foods,
however, with all their “additives,” make our digestion process
more difficult. Unlike natural foods, which have a naturally simple design, the new foods often contain a complex list
of added ingredients or an over-abundance of certain ingredients, like sugar
and salt.
Now that we understand the primary differences between natural and
processed foods, we’ll pull out a magnifying glass and discover some of
the real differences between the basic four food groups and the other stuff we tend to eat.
Final thoughts:
· The basic and natural food groups are:
fruits, vegetable, grains, dairy and meats.
· Un-natural “foods” are usually
processed by machines, and contain many additives, which is harder for the body
to digest and use.
PACKED…
AND READY TO EAT!
I once took my watch to the store to replace a dead battery. Since
the lady at the counter was busy with another customer, I asked to borrow her
tiny screwdriver. After removing the last screw, I lifted the back cover, only
to discover what appeared to be a million tiny parts! I was amazed to think
that all of those intricate little pieces were needed, and had a special
function. You can believe me when I say that I was extremely careful changing
that battery! I knew that if just one piece fell out and bounced out of sight,
my watch would be finished—garbage!
Our bodies are like that watch. They are made up of many different
parts. Some are large, like our organs; some are very small, like microscopic
cells. But regardless of size, every part is important. And like my watch,
which needs power (the battery) to function, our bodies need nutrition (like
fuel for a car) to energize them and keep them running their best. Our fuel,
called food, contains a wide array of
elements that we call nutrients.
Nutrients keep our bodies running by nourishing all of its
systems. Just as a car must have an engine, brake and electrical system, to
run, so our bodies have various systems, like the respiratory (breathing) and
nervous system.
Dieticians (people who work with food) have identified and sorted
the nutrients into categories for us. Unlike a magician, who wants to keep his
work a “secret,” they want us to know what nutrients are, what they
do, and how much of each one we need, in order to keep our bodies running their
best! Nutrients, as you can see below, can come from more than one of
the four basic food groups:
· Protein: Our bodies are made of protein. This
nutrient helps build and repair body tissue. Protein is found in nuts, dairy,
and meats.
· Carbohydrates: This nutrient gives our body energy and fiber.
It is found in grains, fruits and vegetables.
· Fat: Your body actually needs fat, for
energy. But we need the proper type of fat, in limited amounts.
· Vitamins: Vitamins produce energy and body
tissue.
· Minerals: Just like the hard minerals that are
mined from the earth, these nutrients build up the “hard” areas of
your body, like bones and teeth. And they’re good for our muscles.
· Water: Because your body uses a lot of water every day, it needs to be
replenished. Water is to the body what oil, grease and coolants are to the
car’s engine, cooling system and moving parts. Water also keeps the body
clean, inside and out.
Don’t put this book down now! Next, we’re going to
sneak around to the back stage and get a closer look at these fascinating
“body builders.”
Final thoughts:
· Your body is made up of many different
parts that need nutrients.
· Nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat,
vitamins, minerals, water) maintain and nourish the body’s parts and
systems.
VROOOOM!
DICTIONARY: Carburetor: an
apparatus for supplying an internal-combustion engine with atomized and
vaporized fuel mixed with air in an explosive mixture.
That definition isn’t very easy to understand. Let’s
try this one:
Carburize:
to combine something.
That I can understand. The dictionary tells us that a carburetor,
located under the hood of the car, is a mechanical gizmo or
“apparatus” that combines chemical elements to create little
explosions. Those explosions, which are set off by a spark plug, cause the pistons
in an engine to move, and give the car the power to move. In other words, the
“carb” sends a powerful fuel mixture to
the necessary area to power the car.
Carbohydrates, often called “carbs,”
give us energy, and the power to keep our bodies moving. So let’s fly!
No, on second thought, wait! The road-sign along
As we already learned, a carbohydrate is a nutrient found in food,
particularly plant foods (except
milk, since cows eat plants). Also called a “starch,” carbs are made up of three elements: carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen (the last two create water). What’s really cool about carbs is that they are usually packed with vitamins,
minerals and fiber—the “tough” stuff that make our bodies
strong.
Now things get interesting. Carbohydrates are divided into two
groups: simple and complex. Though both of these
contain sugar, simple sugars are
found in fruit and complex sugars in vegetables (like whole grains, potatoes
and beans).
simple complex
fruits vegetables
Obviously, both of these natural
carbs are good for your body. “Refined” carbs, on the other hand, which are machine processed, have
lost much of their natural nutrients, and are therefore less healthy. These
include candy, soft drinks, desserts, and table sugar. They contain few, if
any, vitamins and minerals, and are usually high in fat. Notice the simple
comparison below:
processed little
or no processing
white bread whole
grain bread
canned or bottled fruit juice fresh fruit
french fries baked
potato
Here’s a simple equation that doesn’t require a degree
in “rocket science”:
no
vitamins + no minerals + lots of fat + lots of sugar =
an
unhealthy combination
The problem with “simple” sugars (contained in candy,
soft drinks and deserts) is that they pass quickly through the body and into
the blood stream, since there is little digestion. As a result, you end up with
few nutrients, but a lot of calories (I will talk about these later), which
translates into more weight (not too mention cavities). Pouring too much
refined sugar into our body can lead to life-long or irreversible illnesses
like diabetes or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
I can picture it now. After learning about processed foods, little
Bart Simpson, the cartoon dude, runs from room to room screaming
“It’s going to kill us! It’s going to kill us!”
Let’s be honest. That candy bar or slice of cake isn’t going to
“take you down.” But to be and stay your healthiest, you should do
what you can to avoid the simple sugar foods, or at least too many of them.
So what can you do? First, you must identify them. Though they are
typically lost among the many ingredients of a food package, they‘re
pretty easy to recognize. Look for the following names: fructose (fruit sugar),
sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (milk sugar). They can come in different forms
like, white or brown sugar, corn syrup, and high-fructose corn syrup. You will
find them mostly in fruit juices (we all assume that the words “fruit
juice” means healthy!), milk products, candies, and desserts.
So, the next time you are in a grocery store, give it a try. Read
the ingredients on the package. Pretend to be a nutritional spy! And you might
want to tell the store manager what you found—he’s sure to be
impressed!
To summarize, I don’t believe that those simple sugars will
you land you in a hospital bed tomorrow. But they can fill you up (temporarily)
leaving little room for the healthier, nutrient-rich foods that you need at
meal time. The fact is, your body needs complex carbs and plenty of them. Carbs are the best fuel—especially for people who exercise or
participate in sports. That’s because it takes less oxygen to burn carbs, in comparison to proteins and fat. In short, if you
want a fast-running engine inside your body, fill’r
up your tank (stomach) with some good ole’ complex carbs!
Vrooooom!
Final thoughts:
· Carbohydrates (a sugar) are found in
plants and are powerful fuel for the body.
· Simple carbs are found
in fruit and complex carbs are found in vegetables and beans (which contain lots
of strong fiber).
· Processed foods containing simple carbs are often low in vitamins and minerals, and high in
fat.
· Read the ingredients on the food packages.
It was put there for you!
COMPARE THE CARBOHYDRATES
(values are approximate)
ITEM CARBS CALORIES
Simple Carbs:
1 piece chocolate cake 40 235
1 granola bar 15 110
1 apple 20 80
1 banana 25 105
1 orange 15 65
1 cup skim milk 10 85
1 cup fruited yogurt 10 225
Complex carbs:
½ bagel 15 85
1 bread/bun 10 60
1 cup cold cereal 25 110
1 cup popcorn 5 25
1 flour torilla 15 85
1 carrot 10 30
½ cup corn 20 90
1 baked potato 50 220
½ cup kidney beans 19 105
1 cup lentil soup 20 125
Note: Looks can be deceiving! A piece of
chocolate cake is high in carbs. However, since those
are simple, unnatural (or processed) carbs, it is very high in calories. On the other hand, a
banana is high in carbs, with half the calories,
because it is natural.
A baked
potato is high in calories, but it’s a natural vegetable, packed with
lots of carbs. (Caution: adding too much butter or
sour cream can dramatically increase the number of calories.)
FAT MAN!
Good…Bad…Good…Bad…Good…Bad. Wait one
moment! Listening to the debates on “fats” is like watching a
fast-paced ping-pong match! I simply wanted to know, is fat good for me or not?
First of all, fat is not a “bad guy.” Your body needs some fat. Fat pads and protects our
body’s organs. It is also part of our skin and body oils. And it is a
source of energy. We need fat.
On the other hand, our bodies don’t burn fat as quickly as
other nutrients (like carbohydrates). So we want to avoid consuming too much
fat. And trust me, now is the time to develop good eating habits, because it
will be difficult to change later.
No then, there are different types and forms of fat. Polyunsaturated fats come from
vegetables. Vegetable oils are made from corn or olives. Saturated fats (picture a heavy sponge saturated with water) are
found in butter (from cows), lard (from pigs), dairy items (like cheese, ice
cream, whole milk), and some meats.
Stop and think for a minute of a baby. They have rolls of
“baby fat,” and everyone thinks they are cute! But as a person
grows up, something changes; at least it did for me. As an adult, I could tell
that people were taking a second-look at my “adult fat,” probably
snickering inside or thinking “That’s disgusting!” Hey! No
one ever said that life would be fair.
Fat. We needed a lot of fat
when we were younger. And most of us drank a lot of milk (one-half of all the
calories in milk is just fat!). But those days are behind you. Yes, you still
need the nutrients and vitamins that milk contains, like calcium and Vitamin D.
But a diet of mostly dairy products and simple carbs
just won’t cut it. As a young adult, you must begin to take
responsibility now for your fat.
In all
seriousness, excessive fat is a major cause of obesity, something I see way too
much of in schools today. This is likely to result in high blood pressure,
coronary heart disease, some forms of cancer, and other life threatening
diseases. The fact is, too much fat is unhealthy. Period!
Cholesterol: If we talk about fat we should consider
a related word—cholesterol. Your body produces cholesterol, so you really
don’t need any more. We might compare cholesterol to tiny pieces of wax
floating throughout your body. The problem is, it can
build up in your arteries, those tiny pipe-lines that carry your blood. If an
artery becomes clogged the blood can’t get through, and may experience a
heart attack, and that could ruin a person’s life!
The cholesterol count should be below 200 (240 is heart-attack
level). “But that couldn’t happen to me,” you say. Perhaps
you’re right. But consider this: four-thousand (4000) people experience a
heart attack every day. I’ll repeat, every
day! That’s about 100 people in each state today, and another 100
tomorrow, and another 100 the next day, as so on. That’s a huge problem!
I think awareness is the answer. For example, you should know that
cholesterol comes only from animal
foods, like milk, eggs, and meat. No where else. Fat, the thick stuff, and
cholesterol, the way stuff, can team up to harden and plug our vital arteries,
the blood-pipes that our body depends on. Plug the wrong one and your body will
croak—and I don’t mean “Ribbit.”
It isn’t surprising, in light of the above, that many people
today prefer a vegetarian diet—plant food only. Plants are low in fat,
and rich in fiber, protein, and many essential vitamins and minerals.
Vegetarians will reason, why not eat the plant food first-hand, rather than
getting it second-hand through the cow. But that’s not all. According to
nutritionists, a vegetarian diet can help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
I can personally attest to the value of a vegetarian lifestyle. I
ran a lot during my tour in the U.S. Army (after high school). And it just so
happened that when I reduced my consumption of meat my long-distance
running-time decreased; I usually took second-place in our battalion runs. (My
buddy Michael, who was faster than me, cut back his consumption of red meat.)
And if you haven’t heard, soybeans are “in,” as
a protein meat-substitute. Many schools districts (unbeknownst to students) add
soybean to the meat patties because it is nutritiously healthier and less
expensive than meat. Many athletes, especially those who are concerned about
endurance, prefer a vegetarian diet. And so do many kids! While serving as an
instructor at a national magic camp, I was surprised to learn that more than
one-third of the student campers had requested a vegetarian diet. That’s
a significant number!
Here’s
an interesting fact: while the number of overweight children has doubled in
just the past 25 years, the average diet has changed from one of protein and
starch to an abundance of fat and sugar.
Remember
what I stated at the beginning: fat isn’t bad. We need some fat. But
athletes know that they need a lot of calories, since they burn up a lot of
energy. Since carbohydrates burn more efficiently than fat, they choose fruits,
vegetables, and grains over the fatter dairy and meat products.
As you learn more about your body, and how it works, eating better
makes more sense. There’s no magic trick here, just healthy decisions.
And finally, no one is calling me a “fat man” anymore,
because I’m choosing better
fats. And you can too!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
· Polyunsaturated fats are healthier than
saturated fats.
· Excessive fat can hurt you, now and later.
ITEM (*values approximate) FAT CALORIES
Sherbert ½ cup 1.5 120
Frozen Yogurt / ½ cup 4.5 140
Ice cream ½ cup 9 150
Soft ice cream / cone 7 270
“GOT WATER?”
Did you know that most (75%) of your body is water? That’s
awesome! Our bodies are like huge water balloons! It’s no wonder that water
leaks from our eyes when we cry, beads of sweat form on our skin when we are
physically active, mucus shoots out of our nostrils when we sneeze, saliva
drools out of the corner of our mouth when…I’ll stop. You got the
picture.
Water is evaporating from our bodies throughout the day. As much
as eight (8) cups of water, so I’ve been told. (That’s a lot of
water!) Our bodies are using water just being alive. You can see why we need to
replenish our bodies with fresh water—about 8 glasses a day. Of course, I
may drink more if I am losing more from physical exercise or heat. To borrow
from a popular slogan: Got water?
Water is important because it keeps the body’s temperature
stable, just as the water in a radiator keeps the car’s engine from
overheating. Similarly, the brain sends out a message telling the body to start
sweating when our body’s temperature begins to rise. The body cools down
as the warm water inside the body seeps out (sweat). Since there are more than two million glands that responsible for
secreting our body’s water, we need to keep our pores (tiny holes in our
skin) clean—from dirt, facial make up, and more, by bathing regularly.
Water also helps digest our food, distributing important nutrients
and oxygen throughout the body.
(Like our bodies, blood is mostly water.) And of course, your body needs
to remove any unwanted stuff that you ate. Your liver—which collects any
junk in your body—needs a lot of water to process fats into energy.
Water also prevents or treats problems and diseases, like pain,
headaches, asthma, depression, tiredness, and more. If you want to feel better,
if you want to feel your best, then water
your body inside and out regularly. Don’t wait until you are thirsty
to begin drinking water—thirst is a “warning sign” going off,
like the oil light on a car’s dashboard. Thirst is your body saying,
“I’m low on fluid!”
I’ve been told that the best time to drink water is between meals. Drinking during meals,
they say, flushes away some of the nutrients in our food. In addition, the
stomach needs time to warm an “ice cold” drink, slowing down the
digestive system.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the soda pop
you’re drinking is giving you plenty of water. It’s not. First,
that can of pop contains a lot of sugar—8-12 teaspoons! And since it
loaded with 120 to 180 calories (a girl only needs 1500 calories a day),
it’s adding weight to your body! And since sugar and caffeine are both
diuretics they cause your body to dehydrate, or lose water. So, it’s best
not to count that soft drink or artificial fruit drink as part of your daily
water intake; you may be working against yourself! Besides, your body can get
“hooked” on those artificial “highs” of energy. So save
your money.
It’s really pretty simple. Get into the habit of enjoying a
cool, fresh glass of water every hour or two.
Got water? You better!
ADD ‘EM UP!
If you are like me, you have probably asked “Why do I have
to learn math?” Actually, just as
many magic tricks are based on mathematical principles, so math is important to
health. Athletes, for example, use math every day to measure and maintain
optimal health. And when it comes to counting calories, knowing math is a must.
We call the energy that is stored inside food
“calories.” We need that energy to live, grow and perform
activities. Keep in mind, we are always
burning energy—breathing, reading this book or just maintaining our
body’s temperature all take energy, even if only a little.
If we consume too many calories, the extra can become extra fat.
But we can prevent this by counting the food’s calories. Here’s
what is tricky: it is possible to only a little food but still gain a lot of
calories. Some foods are high in calories! The primary difference between what
is healthy and “junk” is the nutrients. So we want to select the
foods that contain the most nutrients. Let’s do a little math.
Fat (which is a nutrient) contains more calories than any other
nutrient. I’ll repeat: fat is the most
fattening nutrient. If I use math, I can be more specific:
1
gram (written as “1g”) of carbohydrate = 4 calories
1
gram of fat = 9 calories
In other words, fat has twice as many calories as a carb. (This is one reason why carbs
are good for you.)
Now then, health experts say that most of us need between
1500-2500 calories a day, depending on your height, gender (M or F), and daily
activities. That may sound like a lot, but one appetizer at a restaurant may
contain nearly 2000 calories! (It makes you think twice about taking more than
your share and cleaning the bowl, doesn’t it?) The problem is that many
of us tend to eat more than we really need,
which probably explains why more than half (65%) of American adults are
overweight.
Let me interject here that we didn’t become a country of
over-weighted people by chance. Along life’s way, many of us learned some
poor dietary habits. Some us heard, “You’re not leaving the table
until you have cleaned your plate.” No, we shouldn’t waste our
food. But it would be better to put less food on our plate at the beginning and
only add more if we’re still hungry. And this leads to another point: we
often eat just to eat, not because we’re hungry. Many of us are prone to
grab some food or a drink just because we’re passing through the kitchen.
Of course, our culture keeps luring us eat, grab a snack, or even go for a
fourth meal…at midnight!
So what do calories look like? Well, you can’t see them,
since they are part of the food we eat. But since they are measured in numbers,
we can keep track of them. At the bottom of the list is water—it’s calorie-free. Zero calories. That’s
great, since it’s a refreshing nutrient that you can’t live
without. So feel free to drink up!
Next, we have a list of some natural foods:
ITEM CALORIES
carrot 23
grapefruit (half) 45
grapes (1 cup) 65
apple 70
banana 100
Now we’ll check out some higher items (hang on to your
belt!):
ITEM CALORIES*
sugar (1 tsp) 16
(called “empty calories”)
syrup (1 tbsp) 60
Blue-cheese dressing (1 tbsp) 75
mayonnaise (1tbsp) 100
rootbeer soda pop 150
yellow cake/frosted (1 piece) 200
applesauce unsweetened (1 cup) 100
applesauce sweetened (1 cup) 230
macaroni and cheese (1 cup) 430
pecan pie (1 slice) 490
cheese cake (w/out topping) 500
chili (2 cups) 600-1000
*
Read food labels to see exact totals.
Natural foods certainly have less
calories. But notice how they change when we add toppings:
· lettuce 40 w/
dressing 200
· broccoli 35 w/
cheese 165
· slice of bread 70 w/
peanut butter & jelly 300
· baked potato and salsa 90 w/ butter and sour
cream 315
· skim milk 90 whole milk 160 milkshake
400
· apple 70 apple
pie and ice cream 500
· baked potato 75 #10 chips 115
The numbers are rather astounding, aren’t they? And I did
not mention that one candy bar may
contain as many calories as an entire meal! Since 3500 extra calories (beyond
what we need) equals about one pound of fat, it doesn’t take much to
start adding extra pounds to our bodies.
What can you do to avoid obesity, and related diseases (like high
blood pressure and diabetes)? Here is a few
suggestions:
· Drink water. It’s free, your body
needs it, and you won’t feel so hungry.
· Eat a wholesome, balanced breakfast! You
won’t be so hungry at lunch time.
· Eat fresh, natural foods. It just makes
sense.
· Eat in moderation (avoid extremes).
· Don’t keep “junk food”
around. It’s a temptation, and you’ll probably give in. Treat
deserts like a treat, not a regular meal!
· If you can’t make it between meals,
then snack smart. Enjoy a cool, sweet treat like an apple. Be sure to choose
something low in calories. (A piece of candy contains 20 calories and will last
longer than a 400-calorie ice cream cone).
· When you go shopping, buy only the foods
that you need. (I will talk about
food labels in the next chapter.)
· If you decide to lose weight, track your
progress. Record your weight every day, at the same time each day. Note your
dietary habits for that day (“poor/fair/good”). Note any exercising
that day—bicycling, walking, jogging, basketball, etc.
Final thoughts:
· We can count the calories in food to
measure the amount of potential energy.
· Avoid foods that are high in calories, fat
and sugar.
· Making a few changes in your diet and
lifestyle. Simple changes—like drinking more water, choosing healthier
foods, and eating less “junk food”—can have big payoffs over
time.
This list gives an approximate
idea of how many calories are burned
each hour for a given exercise.
ACTIVITY 130
lbs 170
lbs
Basketball 472 690
Bicycling (moderate) 472 690
Cleaning house 200 300
Fishing 150 200
Frisbee 175 260
Golf (miniature) 175 250
Golf (cart) 200 300
Golf (pulling clubs) 290 430
Golf (carrying clubs) 325 475
Jogging 400 600
Running 475 675
Running (stairs) 875
1275
Rope Jumping (slow) 475 675
Piano (playing) 150 200
Mowing (walking) 300 450
Mowing (riding) 150 200
Skating (roller) 400 600
Snorkeling 300 400
Standing (packing items) 200 300
Swimming 350 500
Tennis 400 600
Walking (slow) 150 200
Walking (fast-4mph) 225 350
Walking (backpacking) 400 600
Walking (upstairs) 475 700
Weight Lifting 175 250
(3500 calories equals about one
pound of fat)
THERE YOU ARE!
You have learned a lot about the basics of wholesome eating. You
now know about nutrients, calories, wholesome foods, and much more. If you have
digested it all, you’re on your
way to becoming a Junior Nutritionist! Equipped with all this knowledge,
you’re prepared to go forth and begin reading labels on food.
Labels can be informative and helpful. Labels on clothes allow us
to quickly find the size that fits us best. They also tell us how to care for
the product so it will look the best. The same is true with food labels. They
help us choose the food that is good for us, and will make us feel and look our
best.
But the information on some food packages can be tricky, if not outright
deceptive! When it comes to food, this is one “trick” that a lot of
people don’t seem to appreciate. For example, some packages might
highlight a special feature—like “low fat,” “sugar
free,” or “low in cholesterol”—but not point out the
downside, like an unhealthy substitute. The world’s best magicians could
be fooled if they are not watching closely. To start, we’ll begin by
looking in our own cupboard or refrigerator.
There are three pieces of information on the package that we are
most interested in: Ingredients, Nutritional Facts, and percent (%) of Daily
Value. Allow me to explain what these are.
Ingredients. This information tells us everything that has been added to this food or drink. That includes
water, sugar, wheat, fruit, fats, lard, vegetable shortening, vitamins,
minerals, artificial colors or flavors, and preservatives. In short, if
it’s in the box, it has to be on the box.
Nutritional
Facts. This
section begins with the number of servings in the container, and how many
calories in a serving. More specifically, it tells us which nutrients (e.g., fats, sugars, salt, carbs, protein) are contained in the ingredients, and
exactly how much (“g” for grams, and “mg” for
milligrams).
For those who are watching their weight, there are no “secrets”
here, everything has been revealed.
%
Daily Value. The
numbers to the right of the nutrients show their percentages. We don’t
have to carry a calculator into the store, because nutritionists have already
done the math for us. We only need to remember is that 5% or less is low. This tells us if a food is low or
high in fat, sodium or another nutrient. And that makes it easy!
Let’s take a look at salt.
If the number across from sodium says “10%” this means that one
serving provides ten-percent (1/10th) of all the salt I need for an
entire day. If I eat ten servings, I will have consumed all the salt necessary
for one day. If the percentage is 51%, then I will have consumed 102-percent
with only two servings. That means, just two servings, if this one food, would
give me more than the daily recommended allowance. You can see now just how
fast some things can add up, and why the numbers are helpful.
Permit me to say more about this tasty little item called salt. As
you just saw, it may not take much to reach the daily recommendation for salt.
Let’s check-out a picnic lunch: a small serving of canned corn (15%),
canned peas (13%), and a half-cup of baked beans (23%) is half of an entire
day’s allowance. Now add juicy beef link (23%) and some chips (18%) you’re
very close to the 100% limit. And that was just one plate, with small servings!
“But I didn’t hit 100%!” you say. No problem! Let’s add
a little ketchup (8%), mustard (3%) and relish (6%), and you’ve hit the
ceiling. In just one meal!
So, should we avoid vegetables? No! They are not the problem,
it’s the processing. Processing (adding salt) those vegetables increases
the salt content from 10mg to an amazing 300-400mg! A 400% increase! And if
that wasn’t enough, many people will add salt to their food, even before
they taste it!
Now compare these differences: One potato (20mg); tomato (35 mg);
piece of chicken (300mg); slice of apple pie (500mg); slice of cheese (2000mg);
and, a 5-ounce bag of chips—3500!
To put things
into perspective, our bodies need about 500milligrams, or one-half of a teaspoon, of sodium per day; one teaspoon, or 1100mg, is more than sufficient (this amount can
be found in one T.V. dinner.) The fact is, most of us consume between 10-20
grams (not milligrams) a day; that’s ten
times more than we need!
Sure,
the numbers are high, but what’s the big deal? Well, salt absorbs water.
Excess salt absorbs more water, which causes swelling inside the body (you can’t see it) and thereby increases the
body’s blood pressure. And that can be hurting you, and you don’t
even know it!
While the list of ingredients tells you everything that was used
to make the processed food, the nutritional area tells you what benefits (or
lack of them) you will gain from eating the product.
Now we’ll examine a couple packages to see what we can
learn? Let’s begin a breakfast item—frosted cinnamon rolls. I can
put a couple of these away with no problem! But what’s this? One (1) roll
is 340 calories! That means two rolls are nearly
700 calories! And my body needs just over 2000 calories for the whole day. I’d better think twice
about these rolls too often or I may find rolls hanging over my belt!
Will I find better news in the ingredients department? Nope. The
next item after “bleached” flour is SUGAR—24 grams in just
one roll! (Somebody sure has a sweet tooth!) And reading further I see more
sweeteners—high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup solids.
Next, I learn that just one roll has 20% of the fat and 28% of the
sodium that I need for the entire day, but only 1 gram of fiber and 5 grams of
protein. And to think that I was going to eat three of those rolls because the
packaging said “Low in Cholesterol.” But thanks to the information
box, I can see that the trade-off isn’t worth it.
Let’s check our one more breakfast item—cereal. As a
treat, I want to pour myself a big
bowl of sweetened cereal. That’s two servings. I’ll have to double
the package’s information, like the calories, fat, sugar and sodium. And
since I’m going back for a second bowl, I’ll have to times
everything on the box by four—quadruple! I may have eaten all the
recommended levels of nutrients for the entire day!
For lunch I’ll pick up a “health bar.”
This should be quick and “healthy,” right? Besides, a lot of
mothers buy them for the kid’s lunches, so they must be good. And the box
says “Low Fat” and made with “Real Fruit Filling” and
“Whole Grain Oats.” Could anything be better? Opening the box, I
find that one bar is fairly small and light in weight. This will be gone in a
couple bites and it won’t be very filling. But since it’s a
“health bar,” I could fill up on two or three, right? Now
let’s read the Nutrition Facts.
It says 140 calories per bar. Not bad. But I had planned to eat a
few. Wow, that’s 420 calories in just a few bites—1/4 of the totals
days calories! But the ingredients should make those calories worth it, right?
After all, it’s made with “real fruit.”
Let’s see, there is more filling to the bar than grain. And
the first ingredient in the filling is…high fructose corn syrup.
That’s sugar! I expected fruit. Next, there is artificial flavor, and two
types of salt, and a hand full of ingredients that I don’t even
recognize! So where is the fruit and “whole
oats”? Reading further, they added sugar, high fructose corn syrup,
honey, and salt, to hold the oats together. In the end, that tasty
“health bar” has 13 grams of sugars, but only 2 grams of protein!
Two bars have the same amount of sugar as the frosted breakfast roll!
Perhaps I should eat more protein for lunch. A favorite lunch
snack is cheese from a can on crackers. It’s easy to squeeze out onto a
cracker, and tasty! According to the can, just four crackers with cheese add up
to one serving. That will go fast! I’ll double the servings and eat just
eight little crackers. That’s only 200 calories, but 8 grams of
“saturated” fat! That’s 40% of the daily allowance! And
it’s the same with the salt. I ate nearly half of all the recommended fat
and sodium for a whole day! That added up fast!
We have learned a lot about ingredients and nutrition, and how to
apply it to our daily lives. Never again should you aimlessly walk around the
grocery store wondering “What should I buy?” Now you know what is
good for you, and what to look for. So go out and have some fun. Check out the
items at the store. I think you are in for some big surprises!
Final thoughts:
· Labels are important. Read them!
· The Nutritional Facts section tells us how
much is in a serving, how many calories that serving contains, and the
nutrients in the ingredients.
· The % Daily Value tells us how many
nutrients we should be consuming. If we follow this guide, we can prevent
consuming excessive amounts of what might otherwise be healthy nutrients.
· The list of ingredients shows us everything that the processed food
contains. This helps is include or exclude certain items from our diet, like
salt, sugar, fat, and vitamins.
· If we understand the package labels, we
can monitor our calories and nutrient intake, and develop better eating habits.
“TOWER…WE’RE
LOSING AIR!”
Thus far, we have looked at healthy eating habits. Now we’ll
take a broader look at health—our lifestyle. Specifically, I am going to
address some of the substances that I hope you never put in your body.
I can still remember driving to the airport, to begin our
vacation. About an hour from the airport, a “news break” came on
the radio. According to the reporter, a plane had crashed, moments after taking
off. Apparently, everyone had died—more than 300 lives were assumed lost.
But the tragedy didn’t end there. Two more planes crashed. In all, about
1000 people were reported to have died. All three planes belonged to the same
airline. My wife pulled out our flight tickets and examined them; we would soon
be flying with the same airline.
Arriving at the airport, we tried to ignore the lights, sirens,
and emergency personnel. I grabbed our luggage and headed for the terminal. We were
going on vacation. As I approached the ticket counter I was surprised to find
the ticket-lady smiling pleasantly, as if everything was normal. But then, she
works for the company; she has to pretend that everything is okay. Taking our
carry-on, we ascended the escalator to the second level, were I could see out
the panoramic windows. I could see the charred remains, of the fuselages.
Ignoring all of it, we headed for our plane. As we entered the plane the
stewardess invited us to quickly take our seats. Feeling troubled suddenly, I
turned to the captain and asked if the problem—the one that had caused
the other three planes to “do down”—had been found. “It
has,” he said to my relief. But before turning to follow my wife, I
quickly asked him one more question.
“So, has the problem been fixed?” I asked.
“No,” he answered. “It has not.”
Now let me ask you a serious question, and please answer honestly:
would you step on the next plane—knowing that the first three had gone
down—if they had not fixed the problem? Would you really gamble with your
life?
First, the story above is not true. I use it as an illustration
with middle and high school audiences. Regardless of the size of the audience,
the auditorium always becomes deathly
silent. And it is at that exact moment, when I know their minds are in a state
of deep reflection, that I state “The reason it is so quiet in this
auditorium is because none of you would
be foolish enough to take a seat in that plane!” I can assure you
that I have never had one—out of the million-plus students that I have
met—ever challenge me on this point. Why? Because no one is willing to
bet on a potential loss!
I selected this illustration years ago because every day our nation loses about 1000
people to a stupid little thing called a cigarette,
which is the equivalent of three large planes crashing. It’s my
understanding that tobacco takes more lives each year than street drugs, car
crashes, homicides and aids all added together! That makes it the deadliest
drug in the world, in my book. In short, tobacco—the primary cause of
cancer—kills!
Nicotine, the drug in tobacco, is strong enough to control a
person. It’s use is addictive. Smoking is
deceptive because the real damage is hidden
out of sight, where you can’t see it. Emphysema, the damage to the
lungs, is irreversible; it can’t be fixed. Approximately 9-out-of-10
smokers are believed to have some degree of emphysema, and many died from it.
Imagine for a moment that my long 60” balloon, used to make
animal balloons, is your lung. It’s elastic, so it can expand and
contract, over and over again. Now then, a hot item will damage the
balloon’s thin skin and cause it to burst. Likewise, the warm air of a
cigarette—combined, of course, with tar and other chemicals—will
damage the fine linings in a lung. Over time, the tiny sacs will become brittle
and break, leaving the person gasping for their next breath. (I’m sure
that you have seen people carrying metal containers with them, with rubber
tubing running up to their nostrils.)
I haven’t even mentioned the carbon monoxide that negatively
impacts the red blood cells which are suppose to carry oxygen to all parts of
the body. Every puff makes their job more difficult; their “job” is
to keep you alive. It’s no wonder that smoking removes years from a
person’s lifetime!
Obviously, any company that lost 1000 “customers” a
day would be worried about staying in business! And yet, it is estimated that
3000 people start smoking every day! Sadly, most of these people are middle and
high school students. (Here’s a little fact: older and higher educated
people are less inclined to start smoking. That’s something for teens to
think about, considering that they want to be treated as an
“adult.”)
I share another story my assemblies that is true. It’s about
a man who lost voice because of cancer in his throat. Surprisingly, it
isn’t the gory details about what the doctor did to his throat that
captivates the teens, as much as the number of cigarettes that gave him cancer.
Care to guess how many? Not 500-thousand? Not a thousand, or a hundred, or even
ten. Just one.
That’s correct; one. He told me, “If I had not touched or smoked
that first cigarette, it would have been impossible for me to touch or smoke
the second, third, fourth, fifth, or any of the rest.” Just one paved the way for the others.
Someone in his sixth-grade class offered him a cigarette and said, “Here!
Take one. Trust me.”
Alright, put on your “mathematical hat,” and
let’s run a few numbers. If there are 20 cigs in a pack, and a person
gets 10 puffs off each one (they usually get more), that’s 200 puffs.
That’s a lot! Now, let’s give these puffs a different
name—suppose we call them “hits,” like some other drugs. A
person who smokes one pack of day is getting 200 hits of nicotine—a
strong, addictive drug—a day! If we treat it like drugs that are not
recommended by a physician, we might call it an “overdose”; after
all, just how many “hits” must a person take before we say that they
have a problem?
You know, the Surgeon General’s warning is printed on the
side of every package: “Smoking is
dangerous to your health.” To parrot a popular expression, “What
part of ‘is’ don’t you understand?”
As a magician, I’m familiar with deception. And apparently,
so are the “top dogs” of the tobacco companies. Think about this:
how many business owners wouldn’t use their own product, or recommend it
to their family and friends? A little research will reveal that behind that
smoky curtain sits a group of wise executives who, for the most part, do not
smoke. Interesting, isn’t it?
Since I’m on the subject of deception, permit me to address
a deceptive illusion. Many young people are led to believe that smoking is the
“adult thing” to do. But I’ll state this clearly, most adults do not smoke. Period! Because our laws protect young people from
tobacco products, we only see adults smoking, which can create the illusion
that it is what “adults” do.
But the deception runs even deeper. Not only do most adults not smoke, but nearly all of those who
do wish that they had not started! Many, if not most, have thought about
quitting or tried to quit! And there’s more. In all my years of
counseling (military and out-patient substance abuse), I never met one adult
who said, “The best thing that I ever did was begin smoking.”
I give the children in my elementary school presentations an
opportunity to demonstrate the above point. I ask, “How many of you know
someone who has tried to quit smoking?” Almost without exception, every
hand goes up. It is at that very moment that I ask the students to look around
the classroom at all raised hands, and then I say “You have just shown me
why I shouldn’t start smoking!”
You probably know someone who tried to stop smoking. Hopefully,
they were successful. Either way, you should have learned something. If they
were not successful, then you have seen how the habit of smoking or the
addictive properties of nicotine can hold a person captive. And if they were
successful, then you know that many adults wish they had never started.
If anyone should ask you if you want to smoke, let them know that
some flights are not worth catching.
Final thoughts:
· Approximately 1000 people die each day
from smoking.
· Most people who smoke have some degree of emphysema.
· 200 hits of any drug—including
nicotine—is a problem!
· Most adults don’t smoke. Smoking is
not an “adult” thing.
YOU DON’T
WANT TO MEET HER!
“You really don’t want to meet my wife!” That sounds
like a terrible thing to say about one’s spouse, doesn’t it? But I
say this to students all the time!
My wife, Vicky, is a licensed therapist and certified
substance-abuse counselor. She counsels individuals and families who have been
negatively affected by the use of alcohol and other drugs. Hour after hour, day
after day, week after week, people come to her for help. Her office is not a
fun place to be, and that is why you don’t want to meet her—at her
work-place, that is.
I tell students that I had to make a choice that morning, just as
they have to make choices throughout the day. It is my choice to spend the day
focusing on positive-choices and prevention, with the hope that they never have
to visit a substance-abuse clinic. In other words, listen to me now or listen to Vicky later.
Why do I include a section on alcohol in a book on health? I think
the answer should be obvious, but I’ll explain. First, alcohol, like soft
drinks, is actually considered a “food.” And it contains a lot of
calories (as kids, my friends and I used to chalk up our state’s baseball
losses to the account of their sagging “beer bellies.”)
Now consider the man who came into my office years ago, explaining
that he had a difficult time reducing his consumption of alcohol. Well no
wonder! His assessment revealed that he began and sustained his day with lots
of stimulants—coffee (caffeine), cigarettes (nicotine), and doughnuts
(sugar). It was no wonder that he would stop at the bar after work for a beer.
His body had been artificially “perked” ever since his feet hit the
floor. The “downer” for his nerves was a drink of alcohol (a
depressant).
I was performing table magic at a restaurant one evening when
someone said to me, “It’s your birthday! You should be out drinking
with your buddies!” That very same evening, before I left the restaurant,
I noticed that the bar was oddly quiet, and the people were staring at the T.V.
monitors on the wall. Getting a quick glimpse, I noticed that the screen was
mostly dark. “I wonder what’s up” I thought to myself. And
then I realized what had happened, as the ticker-tape message scrolled across
the bottom of the screen: the words read, “Princess Diana Dead.”
The next day, as I sat and listened to the tragic news account, and that the
driver had had something to drink, it suddenly struck me, “I have
something that even royalty doesn’t have—life!” I don’t
regret that I was sober on my birthday.
Our world is speckled with the headstones of many renowned
celebrities who died because of alcohol, drugs, or other unhealthy choices:
Elvis Presley, John Belushi, John Candy, and the list
goes on, and on, and on.
Now then, as I tell the high school students, I have two very
beautiful reasons for not drinking: my daughters Kristi and Sara. During my twenty
years of fatherhood, neither daughter ever had to wonder “Will dad make
it home safe tonight?” “Will dad say something that he’ll
regret?” “Will he hit me?” If I never drank alcohol, those
thoughts would never enter their minds. No, I’m not embarrassed to say,
“I choose not to drink alcohol.”
The fact is, many tragic situations would
never occur if it were not for alcohol use or abuse: traffic accidents, crimes
with weapons, homicides, domestic violence, suicides, property damage, family
separations and divorces, and much more. And no child would ever be born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which is
totally preventable—not drinking during pregnancy.
There is a simple solution to everything I have spoken about above,
and it can be summed up in a few simple words: “Just say
‘No.’”
Final thoughts:
· Alcohol is a drug, regardless of the age
of the one drinking it.
· Many tragedies could be prevented by
removing alcohol from the picture.
THE ABC’S
We have covered many topics. Now I want to share some suggestions
for a balanced lifestyle.
SCHEDULED MEAL TIMES
You are burning energy from the time you get up. So you need fuel
(food). Think about this: you wouldn’t start a trip on an empty gas tank,
or plan to fuel up when it’s all over. It doesn’t make sense. The
same is true of our bodies. We are only hurting ourselves if we run all morning
on low energy—even if you don’t “feel” it, running low
still affects your thinking and endurance. Fuel up!
Breakfast is a “break” from a long fast
that started about dinner time the previous night. So fuel-up with the best
foods possible: whole cereals, bread and fruit. Attempt to pack-in at least
one-third of your day’s calories in the first meal, more if you can. If
you’re not hungry at breakfast time, try refraining from heavy evening
meals and any snacking after supper.
After a few days, I’m guessing that you’ll love ending your
“break” with breakfast. As the old saying goes, “Eat
breakfast like a king, dinner like a prince, and supper like a pauper.”
Also, don’t eat unless you’re actually hungry. For
many people, eating is habitual. They’re grazing! If you feel a bit
hungry, drink a glass of water. And if you need something more, choose
something wholesome. And then stop. After all, mealtime is only a couple hours
away.
EXERCISE
Fewer young people are walking a lot, using stairs, riding bikes,
or participating in other forms of exercise. Poor eating habits and a lack of
physical activity is destroying a lot
of young lives. A lot of young people are lured toward inactivity, such as the
television and computer.
Something as simple as walking is great exercise, not to mention
the fresh air and sunshine! When I feel tired, stressed, or even sick, a walk
outside can really make a difference! As odd as it may seem, exercise gives you
more energy. Our bodies tend to “awake” when we exercise. We start
breathing deeper, causing the blood to circulate faster.
A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
“Lifestyle” is something long-term, not just a
temporary fad. And when it comes to health, a consistent life-style is the only
way to go! One of the primary rules in the art of magic is, “Practice,
practice, practice.” This is a great rule for health, also!
Get plenty of fresh air, and take deeper breaths.
Drink lots of water.
Get outside. Your body needs the sunshine, it gives us energy.
Get plenty of rest. Being tired traps us into thinking we need
more artificial stimulants, like caffeine.
Get involved in a hobby or interest. I enjoy magic, juggling,
balloon sculpting, snorkeling, and many other things.
I have no doubt that if you apply what you have learned in this
book you will feel great! You’ll feel more energetic and you may even
look better!
Final thoughts:
· Make breakfast a priority!
· Exercise!
· Live healthy!
· Take up a hobby or interest.
MOVING ON UP!
During my years of counseling, I often used an escalator as a visual aid to describe
our natural human tendency. The escalator, I would point out, is continuously moving
downward. If we allow, we can be
pulled down to a state of laziness (the “couch potato”),
depression, harmful thoughts, and acts of violence. To counteract this, we must
continuously be striving upward!
You could also compare our lives to a plant. Without sunshine,
fresh air, nutrients (soil) and water, we would die, or at least shrivel up.
And that is exactly what is happening to many people around us today.
The point is, in order to grow upward, there are some things that
I must do. And it all begins with good decisions,
using my mind in the right way.
I’m going to close this book with the same story that I
close my middle and high school assemblies, because it highlights the
importance of decisions. It’s about the world famous Harry Houdini, and
his final days of life.
Contemporary biographers tell us that Houdini did not die in a
water-filled apparatus. Rather, he lost his life over a small decision—a
poor decision, made in the back room of a theatre. Accepting a bet, Houdini
took an unexpected blow from an amateur boxer’s fist. (Houdini was in
good shape, a trapeze artist earlier in life.) The hit was quickly and painful,
but he was still standing. The young boxer apparently lost the bet. After
arriving home, Houdini’s wife, Bess, encouraged him to see a doctor. But
he refused. A couple days later, after collapsing to the ground, his close
friends carried him into a hospital. The doctors discovered that his appendix
had been ruptured, and the toxins had been spreading inside his body.
The awful truth was painful to hear. The world would lose the
“king of magic,” because of one poor—but
deadly—decision.
I close my assemblies by producing an actual straightjacket, a
token of Houdini’s signature act. I explain that the jacket illustrates
the consequences of poor choices, which can result in much discomfort and a
decrease of options in life. “This,” I explain “is what I saw
when someone entered my, addicted to and/or controlled by drugs, food, negative
behaviors, etc. The difference between victory and loss often comes down to a
single decision, just one brief moment in time.
I have closed hundreds of assemblies with an escape, timed to the
“Mission Impossible” soundtrack. The point of this act is simple:
people can overcome most difficulties in life. Yes, it may require effort,
struggle, or sacrifice. It may be uncomfortable, and even painful. Standing
before the audience, tired and sweating, I hold up the jacket and ask: “Why
would anyone choose to live like
this, when they can be free?”
When you think about it, this little book is really about freedom; freedom from obesity; freedom
from poor health; freedom from the pull of food, sugar, caffeine, cigarettes
and alcohol, or what have you. It’s a reminder that you can live free, the way you were meant to be.
Now that you know the differences between fact and fiction, truth
and deception, you are free to make healthy choices.
“Mr. Jim” Merrills
* magic@mr-jim.com
Copyright 2009 by mr-jim.com