Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or ACA Since 2010)

Unless you've been living under a rock with no access to radio, television or phone, or even earshot of other people, you're well aware of the Supreme Court's decision yesterday regarding three parts of the PPACA.

1) Does the law overstep federal authority in the "individual mandate" requiring most Americans to purchase health insurance or pay a financial penalty?

2) Must the entire PPACA be declared if that key provision is unconstitutional (or, in contrast, are the offending provisions "severable" such that the constitutional provisions may stand without them)?

3) Are states being "coerced" by the federal government to expand their share of Medicaid costs and administration, with the risk of losing that funding if they refuse?

Most notably being covered by the press is parts 1 and 2 - Rightly so since number 3 was ruled out (5-4 vote, by the way).

First of all, I'm incredibly irritated by everyone referring to this law, including news reporters and radio announcers, as Obamacare. Yes, yes, I understand that is the nickname of the law and they most likely refer to it as Obamacare so the general public will readily understand what they are referring to. HOWEVER, it is their DUTY to keep the general public informed - So, can we please start referring to this law by its name and/or abbreviation which, if you haven't figured it out by now is - The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or PPACA or ACA or PPA.


I'm also concerned for the fact that I bet most people believe the PPACA has not gone into effect yet and it was being "held up" by the Supreme Court. I hope that I'm wrong, but I have a feeling most don't know that this law went into effect back in March of 2010 (March 23, 2010, to be exact). It's going into effect in "small parts" - The law is incredibly, seriously super long - Our states take direction from the Federal Government on how to put these "parts" into effect, which, by the way, as a result of this law going into force has created a substantial amount of jobs, which, in my opinion, is a good thing.


Fun Fact: The Federal Government is using/has used Minnesota as its example on how to put many parts of this law into effect - Our state has the best healthcare system in the nation, however, I must point out, we pay into this program in our taxes - it. is. not. free.


I consider myself to be a person who remains "moderate" when it comes to political parties and all things political and I was honestly shocked the individual mandate passed through the Supreme Court. And it passed through because of congress' ability to imply a tax - which by the way, President Obama argued strongly and ruthlessly that this was not a tax, it was a penalty. I find it somewhat humorous that the fact it is  a tax, no matter the synonym you use, is what got the individual mandate through the Supreme Court.

I know the viewpoint above does not sound moderate, but I do believe the government should not FORCE any American to do anything they cannot afford to do. Obviously this is a loaded statement, but we are the land of the free and the home of the brave and to me this is crossing the line. And as a result of individuals not being able to afford it, they have to pay a penalty - Really, Uncle Sam? Come on, now.

That being said, I also do not like the fact that for individuals who choose not to have health insurance, even though they can absolutely afford it, when BAM something happens to them, guess who pays to help that person pay for the healthcare costs they cannot afford because they chose not to buy their own health insurance? If your answer is the government pays for it, you're wrong. You do. You pay for it in your taxes and your health insurance premiums (which are expected to keep rising FYI).

You know who really benefits from all this at the end of the day? The insurance companies and you guessed it, the government. The insurance companies benefit because everyone is being FORCED to buy coverage. The government benefits because if you choose not to buy coverage, you have to pay a penalty (tax) to Uncle Sam.

Unfortunately, this law is not a good thing for the insurance agent and financial professional community. Because of the states being allowed to create their own health insurance exchanges (again, they will receive instruction from the feds on how to do this), they are hiring a lot of employees for these programs. Part of those employees will be "advisors" to help individuals pick which plan is right for them and their families. These "advisors" do not even have to be insurance licensed professionals. Why? Because the government says they don't have to be. However, anyone else in the insurance or financial community will need to maintain their licenses and pay for continuing education - Strange. I know. Also, as a result of the "penalty" in the PPACA, companies will also pay a "penalty" of they do not offer health insurance to their employees. This "penalty" for bigger companies is actually cheaper than offering their employees benefits - So, as a CEO, what would you do? Pay the penalty and send your employees out into the exchange or continue to break your bank offering benefits? Hmm. Tough choice. The financial community will be taking a hit for this - They will lose clients to the exchange - No doubt about it. Especially if health insurance is their bread and butter. And let me tell you, they are fired up about this and are concerned for their clients well being.

I personally don't believe the PPACA does not address the real issue at hand with healthcare in our country - The issue of the lack of primary care. Our country does a fantastic job of instituting programs and initiatives and federal and state programs for those that are chronically ill. What are we doing to prevent people from becoming chronically ill???? Our country does not do a good job of taking care of its healthy population and most of all, KEEPING US HEALTHY and LIVING INDEPENDENTLY. And that, ladies and gentleman, is what is/and is going to continue bankrupting our country.

YOUR HEALTH IS EVERYTHING. Who are you without your good health? Heck, I complain even when I have a minor cold or sinus headache. Can you imagine being chronically ill and the amount of time you have to take off work, away from you family, and how quickly that BREAKS YOUR BANK.

Or how quickly you become mentally certain or sorry for my lack of etiquette with this next phrase, but brainwashed into believing you are unable to work or stay independent and anxious to have others take care of you or take advantage of state and federal programs - I understand not everyone does this and again, it's another loaded statement, but we have to have more programs and companies HELPING people stay financially independent for as long as possible. We need more companies like Lifesprk - check them out.

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of everyone having access to healthcare. I don't, however, like the idea of government forcing Americans to buy health insurance coverage, especially those that do not have the means to do so or those that may have religious implications. I don't like the negative effect of this law on the financial community because it is one I work in and one I am passionate about. I also don't like that the PPACA does nothing to solve the primary issues at hand with the healthcare system in the United States, which is lack of primary care and lack of efforts to keep our population healthy and financially independent.

Phew. End rant. For update on what's next for the PPACA VISIT THIS SITE.

Life Just Got a Little Sweeter.

Sweet Potatoes - Simply Delicious!

Welcome back to me!

We had a fabulous family vacation out to North Dakota to see my mom's side of the family. Our little guy got to meet my Grandma for the first time (my only living Grandparent left, no sorrow, please) and my husband and I got to go golfing too. It was wonderful!

I have to admit, I missed blogging. I've been on a 2-3 time per week rampage lately, and I hope to continue with it.

Today, however, I didn't come to talk to you about my vacation or my life. Nope, we're back on a weekly track for health and wellness. First week we talked about bananas, followed by reading the labels, last week I talked about having the nerve to move forward with changing lifestyle and this week we're talking about (you guessed it) SWEET POTATOES and why they're friggin' amazing.

You don't like sweet potatoes? Fooey I say! Sweet Potatoes can be prepared in all kinds of ways (that even include REAL butter and honey) and still be nutritious and delicious! Best of all, sweet potatoes are just that, they're sweet all on their own and with a touch of butter or olive oil, they're super duper yummiriffic - yep, I just made that word up.

My first challenge to you with incorporating the sweet potato into your diet is to replace it with any white potatoes that you're currently eating. I don't care what it is... Regular baked potatoes, french fries, hash browns, you name it and replace it with a sweet potato. For any of you that say white potatoes count as a vegetable, you're so wrong. White potatoes are a starch, which means it is a carbohydrate, which means it turns to sugar in your system. If you're staying sedentary, or going to exercise, it's not an ideal fuel for your body. If you're hooked on the white potato, by all means, that's fine. I then challenge you to add onion and peppers to your potatoes and have the white potato serve as your only starch on the table.

Now to the most important part - the Nutritional Value in this sweet little thing...

Sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates (easily digested by the body to use for energy), dietary fiber (good for digestion track), beta carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C (probably one of the most amazing Vitamins for your body EVER - Wikipedia it for more info) and Vitamin B6 (assists in controlling sodium and potassium and production of red blood cells or hemoglobin). Sweet potatoes rank the highest in nutritional value against other vegetables, particularly the white potato (I can't stress this point enough).

Sweet potatoes are also a healthier alternative to pumpkin when making pumpkin pie (sweet potato pie).

Although simple, my goal is that you learn something and become motivated to incorporate some of the healthier suggestions of diet and lifestyle into your own habits. There are all kinds of excuses to not change and keep doing what you're doing, but the time is now to start making better decisions and take care of your body!

Take care of yourself, if you don't, who will?

In the meantime, get in the car, go buy some sweet potatoes and try this recipe:

Skin and slice two or three sweet potatoes into small, french fry sized pieces.
Place on cookie sheet with or without foil.
Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.
Bake at 425 degrees until crispy.
Enjoy with sour cream or all natural ketchup.

Delish!

Here's the Plate (Step Up Now, Please)

You can't start a plan without knowing how to finish it.

Raise your hand if you start a lot of things with good intentions, but never finish them. ((HAND RAISED)).

OR

Raise your hand if you intend to start a lot of things "tomorrow" with good intentions, but for some reason "tomorrow" turns into days, weeks, months or even years. ((OTHER HAND RAISED)).

In the great adventure we call life, I'm sure one or both of these situations has been true for you at some point pertaining to some thing. However, the focus of my thought sharing today is around healthy lifestyle. Too often I hear people (literally) say out loud (while eating a brownie, donut or french fries)...

"I'll start that diet and workout plan tomorrow."

This plan sounds fine if that's truly their intention, but most of the time it isn't. In saying something like this, it somehow justifies the unhealthy habit you're performing and adds a bit of humor to an otherwise serious conversation about commitment to a lifestyle change.

In today's world we've never been more aware of how unhealthy certain foods are for us, but we still eat them anyway. We know smoking and drinking is bad, but we still do it anyway. Why?

Because it's fun, of course. And because we're creatures of habit. It's really hard to quit what you've always been doing, but as the saying goes, if you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always gotten.


Life is best taken in steps of 3.

Most of the followers of this blog are young. I consider "young" to be mid-30's and under, in fact, nowadays that's considered VERY young. I'm rambling. I've hidden behind this excuse before. I'm young and I have plenty of time to change, get better, improve my habits, eat healthier, rest more, exercise more, you name it...

However, just because we're young, doesn't mean that high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke aren't threats. I'm not telling you these things to scare you, I'm telling you these things because you are in charge of you; and if you don't take action with your own life, who will? You husband, parents, sister, friend, brother, cousin, best friend or whoever can't change you for you. Not even God can change your habits. God will never do for you that which you can do for yourself...

A lot of people have a skewed view of the Big Guy, thinking that he will just Voila! Make something happen. Sorry folks, not the case... God gave us that thing called free will, remember?

 So, what are you waiting for...

A sign? A big event? A moment? 

Well, here it is. Your swift kick in the ass to get moving with a wellness plan for your life.

As cheesy as it sounds, I compare any major transitions in life to baseball. You start at home plate (where you are now), you have three bases to cross (check-in points or steps) and you have three strikes before you're "out" (three flub ups or cheats or whatever). 

If you stay in the dug out or on the bench in life you obviously will go nowhere. Again, I know this is super cheesy, but hey, when in Rome...

Don't stop reading now or you'll miss the most important information contained within this entire blog.

When you're starting out on a plan to better yourself - DO NOT - I will repeat - DO NOT make a goal to be like someone else.

For example...

I want to lose weight to look like Jennifer Aniston.

I don't know who would make this goal, but whatever, it's an example... People, I'm here to tell you that none of us will ever be anything like Jennifer Aniston. Wanna know why? Because she's got millions upon millions of dollars to spend on bettering her body and you know what? I'm willing to bet it ain't all natural. Sorry Jen, secret's out.

You're 100 times more beautiful the way you are anyway.

I know, I know, you're going, yeah, yeah, you're full of poo. But, seriously, give yourself a little credit because guess what? There's only one YOU and there will never be a more beautiful YOU. That's why  you should take pride in yourself and take care of your body!!

The best thing you can do is compete with yourself and give yourself a start and end point that starts and ends with YOU.

Am I being clear? I think so.

Here's an example of a good goal: I want to fit into that black dress I wore to Katie's wedding two years ago or I want to get back to the weight I was before having kids.

I think you get the point.

So, as the title states, here's the plate (step up now, please).

Making a lifestyle change is a big decision. I'm not licensed, nor do I have any professional education in the health field, but it is a very strong interest of mine and I'm more than happy to provide insight if you're looking for help. Feel free to email me at lnnblodgett at gmail dot com.

Note: I'm checking out for the next 5 days. Sorry in advance for the lack of comments or lack of writing between now and my return.

The Act of Moderation

As promised, this is the second of the weekly commitment to a health and wellness-based blog entry. Personally, I've been an avid runner for the past 12 years. I've also done a good amount of weight training, yoga and "boot camp"-ish training. As of late, I've been doing a combination of all these things and it's been fabulous to get my body back in shape after having 2 babies back-to-back...

Since I have always made exercise a part of my life, typically 6 days of the week, my diet hasn't always been the greatest. Usually I can just eat what I want and my weight stays the same because of all the exercise I do.

However, 3 months ago a friend and I challenged each other to take the active lifestyle a step further and work on our eating habits. Neither of us were terribly unhealthy eaters to begin with, but our goal was to eat more "whole foods" versus processed foods and pay closer attention to serving sizes on things such as chips, crackers, cookies... Our reasoning? We decided to view our bodies as "fuel tanks" with the thought that if we fill our "tanks" with "good fuel" our bodies will run more efficiently and effectively.

This was a tougher challenge than I could have ever imagined, but it opened my eyes to mind-boggling things. There are a TON of chemicals and preservatives in our food; even the so-called healthy food or things labeled All Natural or Organic.

Take a loaf of bread from the store for instance - even the bread that says Healthy Choice or Brownberry Multi Grain. These labels are deceiving... The breads are PACKED FULL of ingredients that I don't even understand! Bread should only have 5 if not less ingredients: Flour, Yeast, Water, Salt and maybe honey or grains if you're doing whole grain. And if you think that's bad, check out the label on the salad dressings or the Yoplait yogurts (sorry Yoplait). They're terrible.

If your diet and moderation are things you struggle with, you're not alone. I highly recommend you consider taking this "challenge".

The next time you take a trip to the grocery store, I challenge you to THREE important things. If you take these THREE steps for the next THREE months, I guarantee you will not only see the results in your body, you will feel them.

1. Read THE LABELS. Rule of thumb, anything that you don't know, can't read or don't understand, put back and either (a) buy something fresh or (b) make something yourself.
2. Go out of your COMFORT ZONE. I used to always say that I didn't like blueberries. Now I don't remember why I ever said that! They've quickly become one of my favorite fruits. Along with kiwi (nature's jolly rancher). There are so many different fruits and vegetables to explore! Now that spring is here, hit up the local markets or if you're in a situation to start your own garden, even better! Either way, try new things and search the web. There are thousands of people that are on the whole foods/healthy train. Here's one to check out: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/
3. Give yourself some FREEDOM. We are American after all and if you say you don't enjoy a half-pound cheese burger and enough french fries to feed a family every once in a while, you're kidding yourself. Here's the catch - instead of having a "cheat day" allow yourself ONE cheat meal per week. This narrows it in a bit and after a few months, you may not even want the cheat meal anymore (trust me, never thought I'd say that, but it's true for me SOME weeks).

I hope some of you will consider taking the "whole food" challenge and hopefully it's an adopted lifestyle for you. It definitely has been for my family and I don't ever think I will go back to not reading the labels. Not only has it been good for me, it's been great for my family!!

Eat. Drink. Be Merry. :)

Side Note: Prior to making any lifestyle changes, have a pep talk with yourself. A wise, wise woman once told me that loving yourself and knowing yourself is the best skin and body care available. I couldn't agree more. If you want more information about health and wellness, I'm not a professional, but I can provide insight, feel free to email me at lnnblodgett at gmail dot com.

I'm Bananas About Bananas (And Why You Should Be Too)

i am a super food.

I know, I know, what a boring post about bananas - Isn't your life interesting at all? But, seriously, I did come here today to preach about my love for bananas and why you should consider getting on the banana train.

Here's an interesting fact about me - I never really ate bananas growing up at all. My mom rarely had them around the house. We ate fruit like apples, oranges, grapefruit, grapes and cantelope most often. Bananas would just rot on the counter and eventually get thrown away or tossed into the freezer for "banana bread", which usually never happened anyway...

I started eating bananas when I was in high school. I started working out more and my boyfriend at the time was obsessed with the fruit - ate a LOT of bananas - because he used to "cramp up" after sports practice. And so, like most other teenage girls, I just did whatever my boyfriend-of-the-moment did too and I have to say that the habit of eating a daily banana has stuck with me and that's the one thing that particular boyfriend gave to me that was actually a GREAT thing to stick with.

Not into bananas? Fine, I get it, they're everywhere and the flavor does get old after a while - However, here's some reasons why you should continue...

1. Bananas contain 15% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C, which helps your body heal, absorb iron and synthesize connective tissue and blood formation. SO IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN IT IS RIDICULOUS. Are you running to eat a banana yet??

2. Bananas supply 20% of the recommended daily allowance for B6, which supports your immune system, plays a significant role in the synthesis of antibodies, helps with protein metabolism, red blood cell formation and central nervous function.

Trying to lose weight? Even Better...

Bananas are packed with fiber that will keep you fully longer. I usually have one with a tablespoon of peanut butter for an afternoon snack that packs an extra punch of protein to hold me off until dinner.

Not to mention that bananas are EXTREMELY CHEAP!

So, get out there and enjoy some of nature's candy bar!

((FYI - I may be doing one "nutrition" or "health" based blog per week. I know it's a bit overdone on the internet nowadays, but it is something I'm passionate about. I'm also confident that with a few simple changes and self control, anyone can learn to love their body and self-image.))