Still Crying.

It would be nice if BL could accommodate my schedule and air on a different night.  Then I could watch the show at it’s scheduled time, and have some time the next morning to blog about it.  But since this isn’t the case, and I am so upset about last night’s elimination, I am going to keep this short and to the point.  Contestants went home for a couple of weeks.  They had to lose 5% of their body weight at the next weigh in to be granted immunity.  Those that fell short, were eligible for elimination if they were on the team that lost the least.  Once home, they competed in a rowing contest, winner getting $10,000.  Chism won by 7 seconds!  I was so happy.  Then, everyone came back for last chance workout (which was a good one) and the weigh in.  On the red team, only Mark and Kim fell below.  On the black team…which lost the weigh in…only Chism fell below and was automatically eliminated.  Needless to say, I hated this (I think almost everyone did) and I cried a lot, for him and his dad who desperately wanted to change places with him.  His dad looks awesome and clearly could have gone home and done well.  At least Chism went home with the $10,ooo and hopefully will be ultra successful at home and come back for $100,000 more. The worst part of the show was that they changed the end and instead of showing the contestant at home as they are now, we have to log into NBC.com to see them.  I didn’t and I probably wont. A 2 hour show is enough, even in as much as I love watching it.

If you watched the news last night or this morning, or checked the newspaper or Internet, by now you know the FDA has come around and will be adding a new warning (or two) to the labels of statin drugs such as Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor.  Yes, they can raise levels of blood sugar and could cause memory loss.   Listen, all drugs have side effects and these would be no different.  Disclosure is important so people can make their own decisions.  These drugs can be life savers if you have heart disease and Steven Nissan, chief of cardiology at Cleveland Clinic says that “if you are at a high risk, a stating may be warranted.”  That they are the biggest-selling prescription medicine, with more than 20 million Americans taking some form of one.  That has helped sales of these drugs top the $130 billion mark.  As with all drugs, the pros and cons must be considered and the public has a right to know what those pros and cons are!  Amy Egan, director for safety in the FDA’s division of  metabolism and endocrinology products said “Their benefit is indisputable, but they need to be taken with care and knowledge of the side effects.”  Apparently, it has been know for 4 years that statins slightly increase blood sugar.

Personally, if I had heart disease, I would try everything in my power to stave it off (or reverse it if possible) with diet and exercise.  I have witnessed the  unbelievable reversal of many, many diseases in my 30 years at the gym.  My seniors teach me more than I could ever teach them.  Additionally, I realize that a vegan diet is not for everyone, but I do think, combined with some daily exercise,  is the answer to  most of what’s ailing our society.  Sorry, I had to say  it.

Whatever you believe, just do your homework.  Make decisions that are best for you and allow you to put your head down on your pillow at night, knowing you are making the best decision for YOU.

My heart continues to go out to the families suffering such tragedy in Ohio.  These stories are about as sad as it gets.  Please remember how fragile life is and make the most of your day.  Much love.