Quick Fix it! Where is my weight loss Band-aid???

The Biggest Loser, Season 9 premiered last night. That show has done amazing things to inspire our nation to get on a path of health and wellness. For me, watching that show reminds me that I am not alone on this journey; in fact, the path is full of people just like me who at some point started making some really poor choices with regards to our health. You know, come to think about it, the path isn’t just full…it’s completely over-crowded…

It’s funny; I am an Employee Benefits Consultant by trade. So, the Healthcare debate is one I’m fully engaged in on a daily basis. We all complain about the cost of healthcare, we want lower premiums but yet we fail to realize the main reason premiums are so high. And, no health plan, employer sponsored or federally sponsored can even scratch the surface to begin to fix healthcare.

We, my friends, are the only ones that can really start to “fix” healthcare. Here’s the ugly truth…we are unhealthy, under-exercised, over-fed and want a quick fix or pill to heal us. That, folks, results in huge claims to health insurance policies; did you realize that for every $1.00 paid in health insurance premiums, $.80 is paid out in claims? We’re not even talking about paying the bills (ie salaries of those nice people who answer the phone when you call to ask about your coverage, keeping the lights on, printing out ID cards, etc). No one wants to take responsibility for their health and get up off the sofa. Taking a pill doesn’t heal our diabetes or high blood pressure or high cholesterol. A pill is designed to treat the symptoms not the cause. And, somewhere along the line, we’ve confused the two. Why are our children developing type II Diabetes…also known as Adult Onset? Because, they’re overweight, obese even and don’t get any exercise.

So, why does the pattern continue? I’m sure this is where the debate can get even more heated. We all KNOW what we should do to live a healthier life; eat the fresh green beans instead of the fried potatoes, skip the butter, use a bit of olive oil; take the stairs instead of the elevator…the list goes on and on.

I know, for me, it’s just dad-blabbed hard. It’s hard to take the stairs and those fried potatoes are tasty. In the wise words of my aunt, somewhere along the line, I gave myself permission to make poor choices. And, somewhere along the line, I’m going to have to make the choice to NOT give myself permission, perhaps I should be put on restriction from making bad choices.

Now, the decision to buy those beautiful new shoes, although completely unnecessary….those are bad decisions I can live with.