airguy

airguy

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I got my "wake-up" call this morning when I went for my medical renewal. I just turned 40 earlier this year and have just started to notice that my metabolism has finally started to shift, I can't eat the things I used to eat in the quantities that I used to, and I've put on about 10 pounds over the last 5 years that are pretty stubbornly resisting my (admittedly feeble) efforts to remove them.

This morning I went in for a 9am appointment for my 3rd class, the doc was running late (orthopedic surgeon, so I guess that's to be expected occasionally, but still annoying), and there was the usual political vomit being carried on the tube in the waiting room, ocassionaly interrupted by Casey Anthony trial vomit. By the time they took me back to get me checked out, I was getting good and cranky about both the long wait and the sorry state of our country. My blood pressure showed it too - too high to pass on the first run. After 30 minutes laying down and relaxing it was down to reasonable numbers and he issued my 3rd class, but it still had my undivided attention that it was up that high in the first place.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt, it's time to start regular exercise and adjust the diet. I think my wife is still cackling and saying "I told ya so!"....
 
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Greg, why post your personal medical information on a public site? I realize you are trying to help out your fellow pilots by sharing your story, but be careful. Maybe I am paranoid, maybe I worked for the government too long, who knows, just my 2 cents...........Glenn
 
gbrasch said:
Greg, why post your personal medical information on a public site? I realize you are trying to help out your fellow pilots by sharing your story, but be careful. Maybe I am paranoid, maybe I worked for the government too long, who knows, just my 2 cents...........Glenn
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Valid point, fixed that.
 
High BP is nothing to mess around with. It is the boarderline stuff that kills people.

Your at an age where you need to get started seeing a family Dr. regularly to ensure that everything is in check like BP and your Lipid profile.

Weight is but one risk factor in regards to heart disease. People can be lean as a race horse and fall over dead with stroke or heart attack.

Staying in the boarderline ranges with BP and Lipid profile could have killed me. Don't follow my example!

Most cardiologist will say that you need to be better than the published normal numbers to do much in preventing heart disease.

Passing an FAA medical certificate exam does little to ensure you are healthy long term, the limits are just too broad!
 
Vlad said:
Marathon will cure it all :)
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I concur with Vlad! Take-up running/jogging. It can be difficult (at least initially) but it will pay huge dividends in the long run for your health: lowered blood pressure, lowered resting heartrate, weight regulation, improved quality of sleep.... You don't need to be the fastest, you just need to increase your heartrate and respiration for a solid 20-minutes or so every other day.

Good luck to you on your next one!
 
More benefits of running.

Ruining your feet, knees, hips, ---shin splints torn/pulled tendons/ligaments

Jim Fixx died of a heart attack.

Try walking, way easier on your body.
 
Portion control!

Meals are way too big now days. Put the fork down and back away from the table! Eat til your full and you have way over eaten. Portion control is a key to loosing weight. No big meals, 5 meals a day the size of your fist, all the fruit you want.

I've lost 25 pounds.
 
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Can't run/jog anymore, I trashed my right ankle pretty bad several years ago and it won't tolerate any kind of impact activity beyond brisk walking. I do enjoy biking though, I need to get my bike back out of the garage and get it going again. I used to ride 20-25 miles a day not too many years ago, guess I'll have to get back into that.

I'm not really in the habit of scaring my heart rate up much above resting in an airplane - I figured if I do that and survive the experience, I better have learned enough from it to never do it again.

As for portion control - yeah, that's gonna be the hard one. My wife is a chef-level cook, and she loves to cook excellent meals, and I love to eat 'em....
 
airguy said:
As for portion control - yeah, that's gonna be the hard one. My wife is a chef-level cook, and she loves to cook excellent meals, and I love to eat 'em....
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If not marathon duct tape will help then :D Eat three times the fanciest the most expensive dishes, you own the chef. Three times I mean Tues, Thurs and Sunday. ;)
 
I had a similar experience when I was 40.

Let me bottom-line it for you: 30-45 minutes of exercise, 4 times a week. You'll be in fine shape in no time.

Biking sounds good, if you can do it safely in your area. I live where people will swerve to hit you just on principle. So I run.

For those of you who can run at all I recommend "Marathoning for Mortals." Changed my life.
 
My second passion (not including aviation) is bicycling. 20-30 miles 3-4x per week. Keeps all your numbers in check and is not one bit hard on your body...unless you get hit by a car:eek:. (Just don't ride with any music pumping in your ears).
 
"... it's time to start regular exercise and adjust the diet,"

Always excellent advice, that.

I'm a runner and cyclist and wt trainer myself. This year I've already competed in a half-marathon, 10k, 5 miler, and several 5ks. My motto? "someone's got to finish last." I love the training and the events, however.

And to the point of the thread. I take my blood pressure every week or so, and it's always perfect ... that is, except when I'm in the Dr's office, when it's often somewhat elevated (but below the FAA max). I'm a member of the danged white coat club.

.
 
airguy said:
As for portion control - yeah, that's gonna be the hard one. My wife is a chef-level cook, and she loves to cook excellent meals, and I love to eat 'em....
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Piece of cake...have your excellent chef "plate" the meal in the kitchen with the right portion, then serve the meal at the table on the plate - never put the casserole on the table. That simple technique has vastly increased our airplane's performance....

(Oh...and skip the piece of cake...):p
 
Mike S said:
Ruining your feet, knees, hips, ---shin splints torn/pulled tendons/ligaments
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You may be pushing too hard if you're suffering those ailements. I've had to slow my pace because I can no longer run as I did 20 years ago but I'm still running. By no means am I suggesting it as the only cardio worth doing. Continuous crawl-stroke swimming is best but requires a decent sized pool do execute laps. Bicycling would be third on my list of cardio exercises worth engaging in but only because it requires an investment in equipment. What it comes down to is "something is better than nothing." Any additional exercise will have benefits.

(conult your physician before beginning any exercise regimen to see if you're healthy enough for physical activity.) ;)
 
I've been (TRYING TO) staying away from fast food, processed food, etc for a while. Noticing a hige difference in the ability to lose weight, sleep better, fell better, etc. Processed food (premade burgers, breaded chicken, TV dinners, ready-made sides, etc) is FULL of salt and all kinds of bad fats and oils.

I've been eating a lot more grassfed beef, pastured pork, natural eggs, etc. Use REAL butter (grassfed, ideally), grapeseed/avocado/coconut oil, and olive oil and your only cooking oils. Fats are a lot more complicated than saturated and unsaturated.

Make it a point to eat oily fish regularly. I REALLY like european canned white tuna in olive oil, it's MUCH tastier than starkist/etc. This is going to sound odd, but give Bristling Sardines a try (packed in olive oil, two layer pack).

All whole grains. Whole oats are good, get McCann's steel cut oats, MUCH better texture, a little honey and some berries and you've got a tasty and healthy breakfast (MUCH better than quaker rolled oats).

Actually, check out what Alton Brown has to say on all of this, I think he makes the most sense, while still being resonable (some people inevitably take it to far, my uncle now eats ZERO grain, for example).
 
Ironflight said:
Piece of cake...have your excellent chef "plate" the meal in the kitchen with the right portion, then serve the meal at the table on the plate - never put the casserole on the table. That simple technique has vastly increased our airplane's performance....

(Oh...and skip the piece of cake...):p
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Exactly!!!! Portion control.

Just say no to all you can eat buffets. You are a human being not a tick!

The hunger "reflex" is the most crude sense your body has. Eat a little and wait 20 mins and you are no longer hungry. Drink lots of water.

It is amazing to me that builders will fret over their airplane being 2-3 pounds over weight but think nothing of putting on 50 pounds. :rolleyes:
 
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I'm 59 and had my "wake up call" at the AME in July. Never weighed more in my life and my BP was showing it. Doc said to start exercising 30 min/day, 4 days/wk, lose weight and I'll be okay. Read somewhere that there's almost a 1 to 1 relationship between the pounds you lose and the lowering of your BP. Don't know if that's true but I have lost 17 pounds and have been riding the old bike almost every week night. Fitting into some smaller pants and feeling good about things now...:)
 
Diet of predominantly fruits and vegetables

Geico266 said:
all the fruit you want.
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There are two answers to your dilemma diet and exercise. It takes a lot of exercise to undo the damage of a poor diet. Dr. Dean Ornish, wrote a book, “Reversing Heart Disease” on reversing heart disease using a low fat diet, by eating right patients who were candidate for heart artery bypass surgery were able to correct their coronary artery disease without resorting to surgery. The patients who fallowed this low fat diet, diet all lost weight despite being encouraged to eat as much as they wanted thus no need for portion control.

One of the major problems with the typical American diet is how processed our food is. I love pepperoni, but a meat that has an almost unlimited shelf life without needing to be refrigerated, can’t be good for you. The more the food is processed the less nutrient value it retains. The idea food is locally grown raw fruits and vegetables that are allowed to ripen on the vine. Each step food is removed for this Ideal, like being picked early and allowed to ripen in a warehouse, being cooked, being frozen, getting canned, being irradiated or otherwise processed, kills the food by denaturing the enzymes and proteins in the food. By eating raw fruits and vegetables or the unpasteurized juice of raw fruits and vegetables you can get all of the nutrient benefits of food that is mostly absent in cooked or processed food. Processed food contains only 10% of the original nutrient value of the original ingredients.

There was a resent documentary film that extolled the benefits of juicing, “fat sick and nearly dead” available Netflix, where the main character lost 60 lbs over two months and cured his chronic inflammatory condition allowing him to get off the dangerous drug of prednisone.
 
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Concept II rowing machine

A customer of mine owns a fitness Spa and on his recommendation, we bought a Concept II rowing machine....talk about a cardio workout! It's easy on the ankles and exercises multiple muscle groups..back, biceps, front and rear leg muscles, gut, etc.

Exercising can be boring so we have a big screen in front of the rower, as he does at his Spa and watch a favorite show.

Best,
 
For the Record

Exercise at a level that you can maintain long term. Walking is good. I've seen a number of people jump into what they think are exercise routines they want to follow and they burn out fairly fast. I personally have seen no one that has been able to keep up with a routine that requires a lot of time out of their very limited 24 hour day. However, you need to dedicate some time to a routine that can be done evryday in my opinion. I maintain a daily record of weight and exercise and when I have to enter a "0" representing how much I do of a particular activity for a specific day, it bothers me. I LOVE TO EAT and I constantly have to be aware of my weight to avoid losing control of it. I write it down every day and chart it for the year to date to stay sensitive at least once each day.

I have been accused of having OCD but I think I have to have a weight and exercise record in order to sustain the program - good intentions, dedication and fear are not enough without the daily confrontation with the record.

Bob Axsom
 
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It happened to me ten years ago

The short story is after taking "approved meds" for ten years I finally got off my butt and took control. The typical American diet is too high in fat and the pills only buy you some time - the process keeps working against you unless you change your lifestyle. It is more than portion control for most people, it means changing what you eat. More whole fresh fruits and vegetables and less meat (note I didn't say, no meat). And it means exercise and I'd say four days per week 30 minutes per day is pretty much the bare minimum. Mix up what you do - biking is great, so is walking running, and rowing, as suggested but I'd suggest you should (with your doctors approval) alternate the aerobic exercises with body building (weights, Bowflex, etc.).

I'm seriously considering publishing my experience because it is remarkable what you can do yourself that simply blows away what those prescription meds can do. If I can accomplish one more thing with diet and exercise, I will. Note that I'm not knocking the medicines but they are not a cure. For a lot of people apparently, a change in diet, combined with exercise, can reverse heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and bring cholesterol levels under excellent control. All the pills can do is buy time while the problems get worse. Dr. Ornish who was mentioned in a previous post is just one of a growing number of scientists and physicians who are making some remarkable claims for diet and exercise. This stuff really is worth paying attention to.
 
Good thread regarding hypertension and how best to battle it. Unfortunately, in reading through it I read the words "buffet" and "pepperoni", so all I can think about now is hitting Pizza Hut for lunch and enjoying their pizza buffet. Thanks, guys. :rolleyes:
 
I needed a specialist to help me get regular exercise. The local humane society shelter had the correct one - Sawyer Dog now makes sure that I get my miles in.

Dave
 
Uhhhhh....

Beer? Can we say portion control? Leave it all the store? Forget fruit flavored? Just say "no"?
 
FAA and Blood Pressure

I'm 68 and first identified blood pressure issues 4 years ago during my FAA physical. After numerous tests at Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, ended up on blood pressure medication. Didn't think it was a big deal since I wasn't flying at the time.

Fast forward 2 years - before my FAA physical I had engaged in a brutal conditioning program in preparation for a 3-week solo trek in the Sierra Nevada Mountains humping a 52 lb. pack over 12,000 ft passes. Because I had exercised so much, I figured I could stop the blood pressure medication.

I went for my FAA pysical 2 weeks after completion of my hike (no physical problems encountered) - and still had blood pressure issues. The doc said that once started, I was on the medication for life.

A couple more visits to Santa Barbara (reported to the FAA) optimized the dosage. I soon received an FAA latter saying I was good to go with the medication plan - but had to report any changes.

One "Gotcha" - there is a separate form that must be completed by the attending physician showing periodic blood pressure readings and submitted with your FAA pysical form. I didn't realize that and ended up driving 180 miles for my initial appointment, only to cancel due to lack of proper paperwork,
 
Peterk said:
Beer? Can we say portion control? Leave it all the store? Forget fruit flavored? Just say "no"?
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That reminds me of my last visit with my family doctor - while she was going over all my diet and lifestyle habits, she of course asked me about alcohol intake. I normally have the equivalent of 3-4 shots of alcohol a week, usually as good whisky relaxing in front of the tube. She said "Switch to red wine, you'll live longer." I said I would seriously miss my good whisky, she just laughed and said "Enjoy it, but you're gonna die young!" and moved on.
 
high BP

Past few medicals my BP was not too high to pass but somewhat borderline.

So, I stopped using table salt. I used to salt everything even before tasting it first.

I'm sure everybody knows someone like this.

Went cold turkey. At first, all my food tasted like cardboard. But I got used to it and food tastes good again.

My BP took a nose dive! It only took a couple of months.

Just my experience.

Dave

ps: I'm 59 and I could stand to lose 10-15 lbs.
 
Pilot health

Wow, All good information leading to good pilot health. I think we all know what we need to do, just need the will to do it!

Reminds me of a doctors appointment I had about 25 years ago when I was, can we say "a little chunky" Not that I was over weight or anything like that but it really got me moving in the right direction, biking, running, walking, hiking, well you get the story. Today I am much lighter and healthier.

One thing the doc said is that I have the "hand to mouth desease" Basically I was overeathing and eating the wrong stuff. He made it very clear that you can't get fat without putting it in your mouth first, and it's your own hand doing the lifting! Can't argue with that.
 
Exercise is good no doubt about it.

Just make sure you are also monitoring your BP (Really monitoring it not just taking it when you are resting or almost asleep, remember it is the average that matters) and Lipid profile.

You can be in race horse condition and still have problems with those things and it can kill you just as dead. There are vegetarians with high cholesterol. Great diet and excercise alone does not guarantee these things will be in check....

Again don't fool around within the borderline ranges of these things. Diet and exercise goes a long way to help get these things in check but if you are doing that and are still in the borderline ranges go see a good Heart Specialist....
 
High BP can also be a result of "White Coat Syndrome" - where normal BP spikes when the BP cuff goes on. A good doc can help.

For exercise - I agree with Pierre. Rowing is the stealth exercise. For those interested in getting back into running, check the Couch to 5K programs (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml ) There are apps for iPhones to get you going.

I wonder if instead of cutting away a little circle of aluminum to save weight on the plane, maybe I should skip that Oreo cookie.

Hmmm, if I lose 12 pounds, that's 2 gallons of fuel...
 
When I have my exam my blood pressure always will go up. The Nurse told me to sit there for five minutes and relax with your feet flat on the floor and it was amazing how much it dropped. I'm more nervious taking a phyisical than anything else I do.
One thing for sure if two people take your blood pressure they will have two different results.
 
Different arms too!

vgb said:
........One thing for sure if two people take your blood pressure they will have two different results.
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We have a BP machine at home and one night, just for the heckuvit, I checked my left arm and it was way lower than my right! Tadaaaa...so now I position myself in the doctor's office with my left arm most accessible when the nurse arrives:) Try it for yourself.

Best,
 
Some of these 'diversionary' threads make the best reading...

Over 11 of the past 12 years, we've lived (not just visited on vacation) in 53 countries, some relatively poor (Haiti, DR, Tunisia) and some much wealthier than the U.S. (Norway is good example). With only a few exceptions (the Samoas & Tonga come to mind), one consistent difference between all others and we Americans is portion size. That's not to argue against exercise or being nutrition savvy...but universally, one of the first things other foreign nationals comment on re: America are the size of our meals.

Thread comment I enjoyed reading the most:
"Just say no to all you can eat buffets. You are a human being, not a tick! "

And one observation I haven't seen made yet: Establishing a new exercise regimen gets harder with each additional year of age. Failing to develop a regular regimen in one's 40's (e.g.) means an even lesser likelihood of doing so in one's 50's, and so forth. All of the typical impacts of aging (reduction in range of motion, cardiovascular efficiency, muscle mass, pulmonary efficiency) can effect one's flying ability and are at least mitigated by exercise. (But altho' a bike rider by nature - hey, I even rode my bike in London's traffic two winters! - bike riding in many parts of America is IMO terribly unsafe).

Jack, 172# & 6' with good lab numbers at 67...but finding the need to fight the effects of aging, each & every day
 
Food

A lot of good advice in this thread - hope you don't mind me chiming in with my experience.

I was able to get the cholesterol, BP, and weight down by doing the following:

1) stop eating any kind of sugar - except fruit and sunday morning real maple syrup on my pancakes
2) stop drinking any kind of soft drink - i have learned to love water and green tea
3) stop eating any kind of processed food - just eat real food - nothing from a can or box. It's amazing how we are brainwashed into buying all that junk. Cooking is easy - particularly if you have someone else do it for you!
4) don't eat at fast food places - only "real" restaurants - ok, you never really know what's in there, but this is my only vice, and only a couple of times a week or so :)
5) try to golf 18 holes a week minimum - this is hard here in the winter!

Best thing you can do for your health is eat real food, and eat less. Easier said than done, but you've done more difficult things.

5'9" 170 lbs - looking for 165 :D
 
I love working out and have been a regular at my gym for over two years now. I am there about four hours a week. In addition to the weight loss is the seemingly endless amounts of energy I have since I started. I only burn out around bedtime which is 11pm.
All this energy transforms itself into more work done on airplane projects and home projects and restful nights of quality sleep.
 
Hey Greg,

I am with you brother! At 42 I am finding it very difficult to manage my weight. Only a couple of years ago I was working out enough to allow me to eat whatever I wanted. Now, I don't work out as much and eat more than ever. My wife too is a very good cook. Fortunately, she is trying to be fit as well. I really find it easier when she and I commit together to watch what we eat. Also, I try to keep in mind a quote I once heard "the diet starts at the grocery store, not at the cupboard". That is, don't buy any junk and it won't fill your cupboard.

I ride my bike less than ever, for years I rode more than 5000 miles a year. Now, maybe a 1000. I love to run, my wife and I ran a marathon a couple of years ago and are currently training for a half. But, boy o boy does my body throw a fit. I have a calf problems on one leg and shin splints on the other. With your ankle it'll be hard to run, don't overlook the benefits of brisk walking though. It too can do wonders. Dust off that bike and log onto www.mapmyride.com and plan some routes. Get yourself some good tunes and some sleek spandex. Shave those legs and if anything else, you'll feel sexy.
 
pierre smith said:
We have a BP machine at home and one night, just for the heckuvit, I checked my left arm and it was way lower than my right! Tadaaaa...so now I position myself in the doctor's office with my left arm most accessible when the nurse arrives:) Try it for yourself.

Best,
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Very true. I am just out of cardiac rehab after my triple by-pass in April. I got blood pressure readings every few minutes while in rehab. One arm is reads lower.

I agree with all the diet and exercise stuff listed here. I was considerable over weight while building my RV. Lost 70 lbs the year before first flight. Did it all with a low fat and low carb diet with zero exercising. With in a few years I needed 4 sents. Exercised 3-4 times a week for the last three years without paying too much attention to my diet. Gained 30 lbs back. Needed the triple by pass. Now I am doing diet and exercise both. I hope to last more then 3 years until I need any more cardiac intervention.

If you need motivation to get in shape just complete your RV, fly 400 of the funnest hours, then have to not fly for 6 months to a year waiting to get you medical back.
 
Training Routine

Bearing in mind I an a retired Police Officer and have to work round injuries received on the job My training routine is;-

4.5k on the cross trainer in 25 mins, including warm up/cool down......... 400 plus calories.

400 sit ups. 30 reps on each of the 22 exercise machines, average weight 70kg

So every day apart from sundays I am in the gym for 1.5 to 2 hours.

The net result of that is my resting heart beat is 45bpm, a heart trace so my AME says of a healthy 30 year old, and a six pack at the age of 57. But........ my AME cannot put those numbers into the computorised system in the UK because its not designed to cope with very fit people.

Bottom line is diet is the most important thing........ you are what you eat. Create a calorie deficit and you will loose weight. You can do this by eating less and the right things, but if you exercise and burn calories, you can eat a bit more. Because I burn about 1200 calories a day in the Gym I can eat pretty much what I want, but do not touch processed foods, burgers, etc.

So, get the diet in order and work gently into the exercise!!

Why do I do it.......... I had to in the job because a lot of people are bigger than me, because most of my family have died from heart attacks, I like being fitter than the guy next to me, and I enjoy feeling good after the exercise!
I don't ever want to be one of those guys who's belly arrives a week before he does. OhhH and the aeroplane flys a lot better with less weight in it.
 
cut the usless calories.

Cut out the empty calories, namely sugar, from the diet. I gave up processed sugar (eat fruit for your fix) and white bead, stopped eating after 7.30 pm and walked around the block. lost 35 kg (77 lb) in a year.

Have not felt this good for a very long time. My wake up call was a "marginal blood results" scared the stuffing out of me! So did something about it. Everything back to normal now!

Jim
 
I thought about starting a new thread, but decided to just post here.

On Tuesday I decided to go and get my first 1st Class medical. I have applied with most regional airlines and several require a 1st class medical at the time of application. One of the requirements of the 1st class is a ECG (EKG). This was the first one I have ever had. Well, the ECG turned out ABNORMAL. Apparently I have a heart defect that is completely fine unless I have heart disease. Which I do not have. The FAA is requiring that I complete a complete cardiac assessment. I did most of this on Thursday and everything was perfect. My PCP ordered a nuclear imaging stress test for Friday and during my pre-registration for the test it was revealed that the test would cost me $6k. I have a HDHP insurance (self-employed) and I had been under the understanding that the FAA only required a excersise stress test ($1k). A call to the regional FAA flight surgeon, confirmed they do not require the advanced test. The nuclear test is known to produce false results and if that happened I would be in big trouble. Well, my PCP is refusing to order the FAA requested test and it seems I am stuck at least until next week with no medical. I don't know what his problem is and of course he doesn't work Friday-Sunday.

So for now I am grounded and with a bit of favor, I will be back in the air in 2-3 weeks.

Anyhow, what does this have to do with this thread? Well, My experience has underscored how important it is to take care of myself. Even though I am fit, I too am overweight (29BMI) and have taken my medical for granted. I am completely optimistic about my situation and my tests are only required once and I am confident in their successful outcome. But how easy it would be to be tangled in the web of struggling to keep a medical.
 
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