Putting Wheels on a Squash is Harder than you Think

I’m just back from an absolutely amazing trip to Walt Disney World to cheer at WDW Marathon Weekend. This was the second year in a row that I went and didn’t race. Last year, I was dealing with a then-undiagnosed injury, so I didn’t really have any emotions tied to not running, but this year, I found myself wanting to be back out on the course. Next year’s 10K is on my birthday – I think it’s a sign.

I also got to attend the Cigna Blogger Event again this year. I really love these events that Cigna puts on. They’re the main sponsor of Marathon Weekend, and I very much appreciate their push towards healthy living.

This year’s focus was preventative care and knowing your 4 health numbers:

  • Blood Pressure
  • Cholesterol
  • Blood Sugar
  • BMI

At the expo, Cigna had their Health Improvement Tour van where you could get a ten minute screening to get these four numbers. Of course, I went. I’m fascinated by biometrics and knowing my numbers. Also, I’ve been working to improve my cholesterol numbers, and I was curious to see how things were looking.

(On the down side, it was my birthday, I was on vacation, and I definitely had been enjoying the Disney snacks.)

The screening was super fast and super easy. The lovely, lovely nurse took my blood pressure, pricked my finger to get a drop of blood to put in a fancy machine, weighed me and measured my height, and also measured my waist circumference.

I wasn’t surprised by the BMI (though I was pleased the scale wasn’t higher), but waist circumference isn’t something that I had considered. Apparently, this measurement is important because belly fat is a good way to estimate the fat around your heart and other organs. Women are at risk with a waist circumference of more than 35 inches and men with a waist circumference of over 40 inches. While I generally try to not worry about weight and BMI as a number and focus on being healthier, my waist measurement is right on the line, so there’s something to work on.

I was pleased by the cholesterol numbers. Don’t get me wrong – they’re still not good, and this is very likely due to heredity. But they’re improving. One thing I really liked here was that the advice focused not on lowering my bad cholesterol (because many of the tips are things I already do), but how to raise my good cholesterol by adding certain things to my diet. I always appreciate advice that is about adding things rather than taking things away.

And thankfully, it wasn’t all bad news. My blood pressure and non-fasting glucose were both in good ranges.

At the Cigna Blogger Event, we got to meet some of the Cigna staff and learn from a dietician about how diet can really improve all of this information. And of course, they always make a point to make learning fun.

After lunch, we got divided into teams and then participated in a Spud Racer event. We had to make a car out of fruits and vegetables and then race them. But it wasn’t just about fun. We had to make a poster and presentation about our assigned health topic. My group got assigned Cholesterol.

I have to say, making a car out of fruits and veggies isn’t easy. Our team went for weight and worked with a butternut squash as a base. This was not the wisest choice, because have you ever tried to chop a butternut squash? Sticking an axle through it is even harder.

After some serious time spent building, we realized that our car was very likely to crash, so we went for beauty over brawn.

We were the only car with green zucchini flames, that’s for sure.

If you’re ever in a spud racer event, the key here is that you want something that will drive straight. The winning car in our competition was actually a simple small zucchini with wheels. Nothing fancy, just simple elegance.

Honestly, that’s probably a metaphor for healthy living, though I didn’t think of it at the time. Keep it simple. You don’t need to do a fancy, expensive diet plan. You don’t need crazy tools or crazy rules. You just need the basics, and I think a lot of us make it too hard for ourselves.

In terms of the presentations, I’d say the winning group was the one who emphasized “Know Your 4,” highlighting the four key health indicators. Excellent work, team!

However, “Out of Our Gourds” didn’t come away empty handed. No, we were awarded the prestigious Lemon Award for our fabulous presentation and car crash and burn (with zucchini flames, of course, no roasted veggies here).

You better believe I wore it proudly

I really enjoyed this event and hope that people take advantage of the Cigna Health Improvement Tour if it visits your area. I promise, it’s almost entirely painless and knowing your health data is so important. Barring that, schedule a visit with your doctor for a physical. Preventative care can save you a ton of stress down the road.

2 thoughts on “Putting Wheels on a Squash is Harder than you Think

  1. Pingback: The Fairest Week In Review: 1/23 - The Fairest Run Of All

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