I work hard to protect my temple. I avoid smoke, alcohol, and stress. I limit bad fats, carbs, and sweets... except dark chocolate. (Hey, the temple is sacred, not crazy!)
But as you all know, earlier this year, the temple let down its defenses and all sorts of riffraff came in. I gained 10lbs, my cholesterol shot up, and my omentum ballooned.
"What's an omentum?" you ask... well, at the risk of inciting the wrath of medical professionals worldwide (or at least the 1 or 2 that read my humble blog) with my inaccuracy, I've condensed the technical description to 3 words: belly fat bag. And it hangs in front of the abdomen. The omentum's job is to support the internal organs, supplying blood and fat.
When you're fit and healthy, your omentum is thin allowing you to see the abdominal muscles underneath.
Not sure what that looks like? Go and watch the movie '300'.
Oh, you already know what that looks like? Go and watch '300' anyway. Go on. I'll wait...
Okay, welcome back...
Gerry, David, and the Spartan gang have wafer thin omentums, and they aren't holding it all in... You can't suck in a big omentum.
Now a bad omentum is big and full of fat (think beer belly) and that fat increases your risk of heart disease. So, how big is bad?
According to the doctors who wrote You: On A Diet
At my worst, I was at 38.5 inches. I looked like I was pregnant again, and I kinda felt like it too. Tired, lethargic, swollen hands and feet... ick. And I was most thankful for the baby-doll trend that well-camouflaged my ample belly in the spring/summer!
Fast forward 6 months later, the temple is back on track and well-fortified. I'm now eating right again and exercising regularly, doing 30 minutes of hula every day with push ups and squats 3 times a week.
And I'm back on the stop-eating-crap diet, not tracking calories, but listening to my body and practicing hara hachi bu, a healthy Okinawan habit which means 'eat only until 80% full'.
Still need more work, but I'm feeling much better now and looking a little better in my hula sarong... the Spartans would be proud :)
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Inspiring post Nenette, thank you! I will keep thinking back to it while trying to get myself and my belly back into the gym. :-)
Good job! King Leonidas would be proud of his Spartan women! =)
Dear Nenette,
I just read your blog and wanted to congratulate you on your way to "temple preservation". Please keep in mind that good sleep (at least 7 hours per night) and simple stress relief techniques are as important as diet and exercise. The fat accumulated in the omentum is directly related to stress- any kind of stress- even the one caused by the gym if you hate going there;-).
Wish you luck!
Neli from http://www.stress-fat-heart-solutions-for-boomers.com/
The Omentum is getting a bad rap.
It is far more than fat. The omentum is capable of great things from tissue repair to helping people with spinal cord injuries and even Alzheimers.
The omentum is packed with nutrients and growth-stimulating chemicals, along with stem cells, the "ancestral" cells that turn into various body tissues and organs. The omentum has germ-fighting cells that migrate to infections in the abdomen. The omentum actually adheres to places of infection, helping to seal them off. For this role, the omentum has been dubbed "the policeman of the abdomen."
Here are a couple of interesting links:
http://jtcs.ctsnetjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/125/3/526
http://www.cooperlabs.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=30
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