I confess. I’m not at a healthy BMI. To put it plainly – I’m (winces) obese.
I am happy to say that I’ve lost 27 pounds in the past three months, and this morning I ran an entire four miles as part of my first half marathon training. By next week, my BMI should be in the “overweight” category. I’m on track to reach my healthy BMI and weight by mid-January 2011, which means I’m halfway to my goal. Woot!
So, yes, I’ve got some pounds to lose. Chances are so do you. (Unless, of course, you’re an RN and a Certified Athletic Trainer or an RN/RD.) Go ahead – check out your BMI below.
BMI Chart from www.vertex42.com
The Nurses’ Health Studies have made an indelible impact on public health – except maybe our own as a collective profession. And it’s our own fault. There are current programs that focus on the health and well-being of nurses, but they’re few compared to the number of nurses in the US and the data about our health as a profession. I’m currently working on a project surrounding nurses’ health, and the literature is astounding. We use tobacco and overeat as much as the general population. Say what??!! It’s true. We grossly overlook our own health while caring for others. Real smart because we’re dying younger along with the general population from obesity-related issues. Hellllooooo!
It’s definitely not easy, but it is one million percent worth it to change your diet and exercise regularly. I’m not alone. Nurses across the country such as Tiffany Zook and @oncnursebeki are changing their health for the better. The Health Hut has some great resources as do the nurses I’ve mentioned. Be sure to check them out. And join us! (If you’re a nurse and already changing your health and documenting your journey via a blog or social media, leave a comment so we can take the journey with you.)
As an aside, if you’re a female nurse between 22 and 45 years old (born after January 1, 1965), consider joining the new online cohort of the Nurses’ Health Study III.
Dr Dean
September 2, 2010 8:23 pmWonderful. How did you start? What motivated you to make the “I am going to do this” commitment?
Bottle your answer, and we can make a mint!
nursetopia
September 3, 2010 5:40 amHa. Yes! It’s been a combination of things, for sure, that have led me to my change. I actually just resolved in my mind to change my eating and exercise habits. My husband joined me. I set a healthy weight goal, realizing I would only lose 1-2 pounds each week; I also agreed to run a half marathon with my siblings – who have all made the same decision this year to eat healthier and exercise – and have really stuck to it. Days that I don’t care about my weight goal (because I’m not losing 10 pounds in 10 days or something!), my running goal keeps me on track. I *know* I have to run and train so I don’t look like a fool about to die crawling across the finish line. When I’m running and want to walk but can tell I’m breathing just fine, I think about how proud I’ll feel knowing I persevered. Days that I don’t care about running (maybe my rest days or so), I think about the dress I want to wear to dinner with my husband once I reach my weight goal. Pretty motivating. Oh – and I allow myself one “cheat meal” per week. It’s usually lunch or dinner on Fridays. It allows me to indulge in a chocolate milkshake and fries, but surprisingly, it also reminds me of how bad I felt most of the time after eating junk. It’s amazing how your body changes and adapts to your diet. Simple stuff, but it’s worked for me!
I’m finding diet and exercise is 95% mental rather than physical. It’s just like financial planning – or anything else really. You have to be disciplined and delay gratification. It’s changed my body and my self-perception, for sure.
Sean
September 3, 2010 7:19 amWOOT WOOT
Congratulations on your achievement! That is awesome. You are living, breathing, walking proof that it CAN be done, and it IS possible.
Keep up the great work and don’t lose that drive.
BTW… I like your lil pun there about BMI *cough* *cough*
If it makes you feel any better, it was just as hard for me – we all start somewhere.
Very inspiring. *high five*
nursetopia
September 3, 2010 8:08 amThanks, Sean! *high five*
isntshelovlei
September 3, 2010 5:09 pmGo Joni go! I am myself officially (just) overweight now–a far cry from the BMI of 42 I was just last year. :-O
We did a genogram and patient education project that was really a wake-up call for me. I was shocked and disturbed that the whole top two-thirds of mine was all obesity and heart disease and diabetes (and I had color-coded them so they stood out even more)! It looked like these conditions were slowly descending upon the younger generation kinda like the slime in Ghostbusters II. I felt like a walking hypocrite. How could I become a health care provider–a nurse–and educate my patients when I wasn’t even following what would be my own advice? What about my kids?–I want to be here for and with them. So I decided enough was enough–the cycle stops now.
Keep up the great work–you rock!
nursetopia
September 4, 2010 8:55 pmThank you. Thank you. Wow – Way to go with your own weight loss! That’s fabulous! I feel ya.
Tiffany
June 14, 2011 12:21 amJust came across this… Great post Joni! Thanks for mentioning me… So happy to say that I am 3% away from healthy body fat percentage! I have moved from 42% to 27% in the last year and am officially training for my third half marathon. It is definitely time for nurses to wake up and get healthy!
So proud of you for taking control of your health and can’t wait to see how each of us is able to impact our colleagues and hopefully nurses all over!
nursetopia
September 3, 2010 5:28 amThanks! 🙂