Then You Die According To Tony

Rate the task above the prize; will not the mind be raised? Fight thine own faults, not the faults of others; will not evil be mended?"– Confucius

Even though Confucius has departed long time ago, he makes sense. A number of the quotes that I’ve used in my blog pertain to taking responsibility for your behavior. By evaluating what you think as well as what you do =   the formula for “who you are.”   I (identity) = T (thought) +B (behavior).  Today’s blog is based on articles found in the Wall Street Journal on July 12, 2011 and pertain to my formula.

The first article has a picture of a little boy approaching a round ball. The article is titled “See Nigel run? UK Push To Trim Baby Fat.” Okay, babies should spend less time watching TV according to a new health guidelines issued by the British government. According to them, 10% of children ages 2 to 10 are obese. They recommend that children who can walk should be active for about three hours a day and spend less time in baby bouncers, strollers, car seats, watching TV, playing video games, and using the computer. They also recommend that it’s vital that parents introduce children to fun and a physically active pastime to help prevent them from becoming obese. The dangers they point out include heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Nearly 25% of adults in the UK are obese.

Once again, as it appears to me, the problem lies with the adults. If you have obese adults, then the probability of having children with a similar problem increases.  How do you fix this problem? Just today, I heard on CNN that a study was done by researchers at a major university who investigated   the number of calories published by restaurants. What a surprise, as the actual calories in some dishes were more than what was published? Of course I’m being facetious. A problem was detected with salads. Of course the restaurants claim that their dishes on average total their stated calorie count and that’s only because the “chef “in the kitchen may sprinkle a few more bacon chips randomly on the dish in question that increases the number. Sure!

Another article “Study Backs Cold Treatment for Sudden Cardiac Arrest”. If you have cardiac arrest and you’re fortunate enough to have your body cooled, after your heartbeat is restored, your chances of being discharged from the hospital improves by  over 50% and have a better than 90% chance of leaving with most or all of your cognitive functioning intact. In other words, fewer than 10% of victims in the US survive sudden cardiac arrest and only a minority recovers sufficient brain function to return to normal life.

My goodness, the severity of cardiac arrest is immense. My friend Mitch Newman is obviously in serious trouble. Young children may or may not have an opportunity for better health depending upon their parents. The bottom line is that everyone has to take responsibility for their lives. Hopefully it’s not too late. It’s apparent we need change in a big way. For me, thank goodness I ran this morning. It is clear that I’m spending more time on the computer which is good for cognitive exercise but not good physically. I am thinking about creating a center or Institute that promotes cognitive and physical health in order to improve quality of life  and likely lengthening it as well. More to follow about creating a center on another blog.