New Habits Give Father a Fresh, Healthy Start

Jose Burgos has started the New Year 15 pounds lighter.

It’s not the dramatic stuff of daytime talk shows, but the URMC staffer and father of five said shedding those pounds was monumental, jump-starting a health revolution that’s shaken up his daily routine.

When he’s not busy feeding his kids breakfast and loading them on the school bus, Burgos, a clinical technologist in the ED, is running around at work – keeping equipment in tip-top shape for a bustling team of trauma care doctors and nurses, and sometimes even running around delivering patients’ belongings (occasionally forgotten in the ED) throughout hospital.

“With a full schedule both on the job and off, it was really important that I get into top shape, lose weight, and find the energy I needed,” Burgos said.

And he’s found it. Already a five-year veteran at the Medical Center’s Fitness and Wellness Center, Burgos had slowly dropped weight since first moving up to Rochester from New York City back in 2005. Back then, he tipped the scale at 290.

“But I made a priority of working out before my 11 a.m. shift, five days a week,” he said. “I’d work the weights for 45 minutes, put in 25 minutes on a cardio machine, and do my sit-ups at home, and the weight started to melt off.”

Even so, his loss was slow, steady, and eventually reached a plateau. Eager to take his health revolution to the next level, this October Burgos registered for the Fitness Center’s “Amazing Weight Loss Race” – an eight week program promising cash prizes for the top 12 “biggest losers” and offering weekly, half-hour education classes, ranging from meal-time nutrition strategies (courtesy a licensed dietitian) and exercise tips (from professional fitness trainers).

“Those mini-classes equipped me with really useful advice, which I could take home and easily put into practice,” Burgos said. “For me, that was radical. I’d been an devoted exerciser, and had even eaten grilled and baked foods over fried things, but I’d not really grasped – or put into practice – the importance of watching portion size, resisting unnecessary ‘seconds,’ or filling up on salads and other vegetables first before digging into the main dish.”

By paying closer attention to his eating habits – and boosting his daily cardio exercise by a mere 10 minutes – Burgos shaved off 16 pounds in just eight weeks.

“The weight-loss competition re-energized me,” said Burgos, who now weighs almost 50 pounds less than he did six years back. “It’s broadened my perspective. I’m thrilled at trying new things – like mixing dark, leafy greens into my salads, packing fresh fruits in my lunch.”

What’s more exciting, though, is that he’s piqued his kids’ interest, too.

“They’re eating spinach right alongside me, and begging for apples in their lunch bags,” he laughs. “It’s incredible how curious they are. It’s so rewarding to see them learning these life habits at such a young age.”

Burgos (left) takes a moment to pose with Eric McCloud (right) of Environmental Services, who befriended him years back and has since encouraged him shape up. Burgos also credits Bernard Williams (not pictured), also of Environmental Services, for lending him support on his weight loss journey.

Burgos, thrilled by the fun, competitive community environment he found in the recent weight loss challenge, has already signed up for the next one, which launches in February.

And his motivation is infectious; he’s already recruited six fellow ED staff to join him.

“You have to do this for you,” he said. “Sure, it’s a really fun way to get started on your goal, but you have to ultimately want to be healthy yourself. Personally, I want to be there for my kids when I’m older. And that means not giving up on my weight loss goal, even if I hit a bump in the road. I have to stay positive. I have to stay focused on the prize at the end.”

Do your New Year’s resolutions need help getting started on the right foot? Learn more about URMC’s next Amazing Weight Loss Race, here.

Don’t work at the Med Center? You can still follow Burgos’ lead; talk with your physician about small, manageable changes you can make to your diet, eating habits, and exercise routine.

Men: What’s in Your Six Pack?

Men often neglect their health until something starts to go wrong – usually around middle age. And after all those years of not paying attention to their bodies, men in their 50s and 60s can feel overwhelmed by the chore of making health changes, asking themselves “How do I even get started?”

Aging expert Dr. Roger Oskvig has a quick and easy checklist of six things – what he calls the “six pack” – that every man needs to know to get started on the road to fitness. In the clip below, he also throws in a few extra handy tips about exercise and eating well, too.

Eighth Annual Men’s Health Day is Sept. 23

When it comes to your health, being a little proactive can go a long way; that’s why the University of Rochester Medical Center is inviting men to its eighth annual Men’s Health Day on Sept. 23. Geared toward men ages 45 and older, the day-long festivities will present a unique (non-nagging) opportunity to learn about health topics ranging from cardiovascular wellness and prostate health to cataract surgery and sleep disorders.

Want to register for this year’s Men’s Health Day event? Act fast! In 2010, Men’s Health Day sold out, attracting more than 400 men.

In addition to terrific speakers, the day will also include health screenings, hands-on demonstrations, giveaways, healthy snacks, breakfast and lunch, and deluxe raffle prizes. New this year, attendees also can receive an individual analysis of their “gait,” since the way you walk can predict the likelihood of a fall. A flu shot clinic also will be available.

Tickets are on sale now and can be reserved by calling (585) 275-2838. Admission is $15 and includes everything: breakfast, lunch, giveaways, prizes, and free parking at the Hyatt Regency Rochester (125 Main Street).

For more information, visit www.menshealth.urmc.edu.

No, You Don’t Have to Choose Between Your Wallet and Waistline

If talk of food groups and balanced diets conjure up images of pyramids girded by grains and cereals at the bottom, you might be dating yourself.  Pyramids, as it were, are “so 1990′s.”

A more relevant icon is the talk of the table: the dinner plate. More specifically, “MyPlate,” a brand new healthy eating icon that teaches Americans how to, meal by meal, serve up a more diverse and nourishing diet. MyPlate, experts say, simplifies nutrition, forever changing the notion that healthful eating has to be complicated.

But, while the new “plate” emblem excels at simplicity, some critics say this comes at a cost.  In fact, recent research suggests that the new MyPlate program puts such a heavy emphasis on fruits and vegetables – they should occupy one whole half of the plate – that truly adhering to the new guidelines could be financially unfeasible for families on a lean budget.  Case in point: The most recent study, published last week in the journal Health Affairs, estimates that the average American will need to spend an extra $380 a year just buying foods that help “make up” the 700 mg potassium shortfall most adults experience on any given day (on average, we consume only 2,800 of the recommended 3,500 mg).

So, what to do? We asked URMC’s chief clinical dietitian Jennifer Glen if healthy eating – and budget-friendly eating – really have to be mutually exclusive. Luckily, she had some really encouraging news and smart tips for folks looking to snag fresh produce on the cheap.

To hear her insights, just watch the clip below.