By Katrice L. Mines, Editor
kmines@atlantatribune.com

When we were working on this issue, I was constantly taking side notes while researching and after having spoken with various experts in the fields of wellness. I always learn so much about how I can improve my overall approach to living my best life through my physical health and it never fails that every year, some myth or misconception I have about food or fitness is debunked. My family and friends are always getting an earful — like how getting eight hours of sleep can improve your chances of minimizing and losing belly fat.

A few Thanksgivings back, I was talking to one of my uncles and inquiring about whether or not he would be joining our family wellness challenge that following January. He didn’t hesitate to tell me that he didn’t really need to be a part of it because he was always working. His cavalier attitude about the topic of his physical fitness was a little surprising — considering how fit he looked to the naked eye. I thought maybe he lifted weights, but he told me that his construction work was enough of a work out for him. That statement, of course, led to a debate about the difference between how work tears your body down and working out builds it up. He suffers from hypertension, which I was sure he had heard from his doctor could be treated in part with exercise as cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise can help lower your blood pressure and make your heart stronger. Perhaps, he had not. I also learned during our conversation that he only ate one meal a day; a hearty dinner, he said.

For breakfast, he drank 16 ounces of chocolate milk. I was stunned. By this time, others were chiming into the discussion and scolding him for not being more mindful of his health. At some point, he said he’d look into the family challenge and possibly participate. I couldn’t tell if he said it to stop the ranting from all of us or if he’d actually taken to heart any of what we’d said. …

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