Did God Make Death?

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Coco

The power outage might have kept me from church a few week ago, but since we were staying at my Mom’s and she lives only a few minutes from my church, it actually was easier for me to get to church on time than usual. Plus, church had electricity and air conditioning!

I volunteered to be a reader, and was asked to read this passage from the Book of Wisdom:

God did not make death,
And he does not delight in the death of the living.
For he created all things that they might exist;
The generative forces of the world are wholesome,
And there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
For righteousness is immortal. ….

As I looked over the reading, my first reaction was one of disagreement.

Death is an essential part of life–at least, it is an essential part of our mortal life. The circle of life depends on death. At a very basic level, cancer happens when cells don’t die.

If our life on earth lasted forever, would we ever appreciate it?

While the untimely death of a child or loved one is painful, the death of someone older or sicker can be welcomed as a blessing, especially for those who believe in an after-life.

Our Gospel reading was from Mark 5: 21-43, and told the story of Jesus resurrecting the young daughter of Jairus, a leader of the temple. Reading these together, I think the Gospel story shows that God has power over death, and compassion for the pain that death can cause us, but I still don’t agree that “God did not make death.”

Posted in My Faith | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Three Things Thursday (The Summer Movie Edition)

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Coco

I usually am way behind on the movies, but between our sweltering weather and our lacrosse-free summer schedule, I’ve actually seen three movies in the past two weekends.

1. During our power outage, my husband and I sought shelter at the movies. We had seen an ad for Moonrise Kingdom the night before, and were glad that it was not sold out when we got to the very crowded movie theater.

 

Storyline from IMDB:

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, as a young boy and girl fall in love they are moved to run away together. Various factions of the town mobilize to search for them and the town is turned upside down — which might not be such a bad thing.

My review: It was quirky, campy and cute.

2.  I was interested in seeing the Katy Perry movie from the first time I saw a preview, but I wasn’t sure I would be brave enough to go without a tween girl to escort me. Faced with another weekend of temperatures in the 100s, it wasn’t hard to convince my husband to go with me.

 

Storyline from IMDB:

A documentary that chronicles Katy Perry’s life on and off-stage.

(That’s a boring synopsis! The movie follows Katy’s first world tour and weaves in the story of how she became a singer/songwriter and her struggles before her first hit album)

My review: As cute as Katy! I have a total girl crush on her, love her music (all of her upbeat songs are on my running playlists) and this movie only made me appreciate her more. (I’m sure it’s polished and sanitized, but still!)

3.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was not on my list of movies to see, but one of my friends wanted to see it and I’d heard good things about it, so I was willing to go. 

 Storyline from IMDB:

A group of British retirees decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self.

My review: It is hard to describe this movie. There were plenty of parts that made you laugh, but it wasn’t a comedy. The overall mood was more bittersweet, but it has a happy ending.

Next up: Beasts of the Southern Wild.  I heard an interview with the director on NPR and am in love with little Quvenzhané Wallis already.

Have you seen any of these movies?

What’s the best movie you’ve seen this year?

Posted in Life | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Mom’s Garden

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Coco

I didn’t inherit my Mom’s green thumb, but luckily she lives close enough so I can see her garden and share its bounty!

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Do you have a green thumb?

Are you growing any vegetables this summer?

Posted in Life | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

There Are No Magic Pills

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Coco

When I heard that the FDA had approved a new diet pill, I was intrigued. Despite the many weight-loss products available at drugstores and over the internet, there are very few drugs that the FDA has approved for weight loss, and some drugs that were approved have been taken off the market because of safety concerns.

Having been through my own process of losing weight and learning how to stay healthy, I know that there is no easy fix. Having friends who have struggled with their weight, I know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. So, I was interested to see how Belviq works.

FDA / AP

(source)

According to the prescribing information, Belviq is a serotonin 2C receptor agonist that controls appetite by binding to serotonin receptors in the brain. That could be effective if the reason that you are overweight is because you have too much of an appetite, but my own food issues stem from eating when I am tired, stressed or bored–not from excess hunger.

The prescribing information summarizes the results of three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials conducted over 1 or 2 years. In the studies, Belviq was taken twice a day in conjunction with counseling on “reduced caloric intake” and “increased physical activity” that continued every four weeks throughout the trial.

It is striking that a large number of subjects (36-50%) withdrew from each study before the first year was completed. We all know how quickly New Year’s resolutions fall to the wayside, but you would think that the extra structure of a clinical trial would keep people motivated–maybe they got tired of the study requirements.

The clinical trial data show that statistically significantly greater weight loss was achieved with Belviq, but the numbers make me wonder whether it is worth the costs and risks. The year 1 placebo-adjusted weight loss achieved in patients treated with Belvig was 3.3 kg (7.25 lbs) in a patient population with an average starting weight of about 100 kg (220 lbs). (That’s about one “week” of weight loss on The Biggest Loser!) The raw numbers showed an average weight loss of 7.9 kg (17 lbs) for the Belviq group and 3.7 kg (8 lbs) for the placebo group.  That is a big difference, but considering the starting weight of the patients and the duration of the study, I’m not sure if it’s worth it.

I have even more questions looking at the Year 2 study data.

Patients in all three Year 2 patient groups (BELVIQ Year 1/ BELVIQ Year 2, BELVIQ Year 1/placebo Year 2, and placebo Year 1/placebo Year 2) regained weight in Year 2 but remained below their Year 1 mean baseline.

Been there, done that!

The raw numbers from the Year 2 study showed an average weight loss of 6.0 kg (13 lbs) from starting weight for the 2-year Belviq group and 2.6 kg (5.7 lbs) for the 2-year placebo group.  If I were starting at 220 lbs, I’d rather end up 13 lbs lighter than 6 lbs lighter, but I don’t know if losing those extra 7 pounds is worth the costs and risks of taking a prescription weight-loss drug twice a day for two years.

The report doesn’t examine the reasons behind the weight gain in year 2. Was the drug less effective at controlling appetite? Did the patients disregard the diet and exercise counseling? If patients continued for a third year, would the weight gain continue? level off? decline again?

Belviq may offer hope to those who have given up on getting to a healthy weight. It may help people get started on a diet and exercise plan, and encourage them with weight loss results. But what the clinical trial data mean to me is that there is no magic pill. You can do almost as well with diet and exercise and you can do better if you learn to make permanent lifestyle changes that support healthy choices. But that’s just my very humble, non-expert opinion.

Posted in Fitness | Tagged | 12 Comments

Lessons From Physical Therapy

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Coco

My physical therapy is going well. I’ve been able to do several 4-5 miles runs without any setbacks, and my physical therapist thinks I am ready to start upping my mileage. 🙂

Even though strength training has been part of my regular fitness routine for years, I’ve learned several important lessons during physical therapy.

If your muscles don’t get tired, they won’t get stronger.

I know that you should choose your weights so that it is difficult to finish the last few reps of your last set, but I still tend to breeze through my strength routine. Physical therapy made me realize how much I’ve been short-changing myself by not pushing myself harder. My first physical therapy exercises did not use any weights at all, but required me to hold each rep for 8 seconds. Yowzie! Talk about feeling the burn! My muscles trembled through the last set–but I have been getting noticeably stronger over just the last few weeks.You need to change your routine to keep challenging your muscles.

I have favorite strength exercises that I like to do day in and day out. I just don’t feel like I’ve done my strength routine if I haven’t done overhead presses, push-ups and tricep dips. But my physical therapy “homework” has changed every week. For example, I’ve gone from side planks, to side planks with my feet elevated, to side planks with a twist. I’ve gone from planks on my elbows, to planks on my elbows with one foot raised, to fitball plank moves. Just when I get the hang of an exercise, my trainer takes it to the next level, making sure that my muscles are constantly challenged–and getting stronger.

Focus on form.

Most of my physical therapy exercises are just different enough from exercises that I’ve done before that I have to think about what I am doing. That makes me slow down and focus on what I’m doing, which helps make sure I am engaging the correct muscles. The trainer that works with my physical therapist also explained the importance of resting between sets–muscles need that rest to be able to execute the next set with good form.

If an exercise is too hard, keep trying!

The first time I tried the single-leg airplane stance with a side rotation, I could barely get into the pose, let alone hold it for the requisite 5 seconds. After a few days, I had it figured out, and I could do almost all of the reps without falling over. I was so proud and pleased to see my coordination, strength and balance improve in just a few days. It was a good reminder that just because something is hard doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it, and just because I can’t do something right the first time doesn’t mean I shouldn’t keep trying. 

I know I won’t be working with my physical trainer for much longer, but this experience has reinforced my desire to work with a certified personal trainer–if not on a regular basis at least from time-to-time when my routine needs a tune up.

Have you ever had physical therapy?

Have you worked with a personal trainer?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , | 18 Comments