Goodness. It's quiet around here.

Well everyone must be busy with the long-weekend for Columbus Day behind us and Halloween coming up soon. Maybe it's the chill in the air, in most places or the foliage that has us distracted. Of course, I know our ladies in the South, Cali and way up North in Alaska are probably enjoying different weather. How goes it in your neck of the woods? Remember, it's still hurricane season, so brush up on the tips posted earlier this season by Amber and Mary on our blog, especially if you are in a hurricane prone area.

I have been swamped with work of all types lately. Rather than bore you with all of that though, I will say I am currently enjoying my husband being home. We are looking at him possibly leaving again soon for a short trip, but that is doable. Some of our contributors right now are still enduring some lengthy separations and others are getting ready for deployment time again.

This time of year can make or break the spirit in terms of deployments. With the holidays upon us, we all want our loved ones to be home for the Big Days. You know where you can gorge yourself on turkey and trim the tree and say a toast at midnight. Still, in this life, we know that there will be times that we cannot always be with our Coasties on those most special days. So, many opt to celebrate in different ways and often on different days throughout the year. We make the most of what time we have and try to understand the needs of the Coast Guard. That's just how we roll. :)

Anyone have a unique holiday tradition story to share? What do you do when your loved one is deployed on a Big Day?

BMI Criticism

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), "Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems."

Note the "most" people, not all people. Of course, I would even argue that "most" is too generous.

The CDC also explains that, "BMI does not measure body fat directly, but research has shown that BMI correlates to direct measures of body fat, such as underwater weighing and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).1, 2 BMI can be considered an alternative for direct measures of body fat. Additionally, BMI is an inexpensive and easy-to-perform method of screening for weight categories that may lead to health problems." To me, I see "cheap" and "lazy". Isn't the use of BMI doing a disservice to servicemembers. What say you? Look, if the CG and/or other services are going to really focus on health and fitness and treat it with extremely high importance than why not do it right?

The CDC, thank goodness, also mentions the following on their website:

"How reliable is BMI as an indicator of body fatness? The correlation between the BMI number and body fatness is fairly strong; however the correlation varies by sex, race, and age. These variations include the following examples:

• At the same BMI, women tend to have more body fat than men.
• At the same BMI, older people, on average, tend to have more body fat than younger adults.
• Highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness."

So, you are screwed if you are an older athletic female. There will be bells going off all over the place and red flags heralding attention for the fat-police. Again, ridiculous.

Perhaps I am exaggerating a bit. Still, this topic is one that is ever-present today as the Coast Guard recently announced that as of October 2009, it will be modifying the health and fitness program by adopting maximum allowable weight (MAW) and BMI.

ALCOAST 469/08 (internet release authorized) spells it all out. Outside of MAW and BMI, members should note that maximum body fat standards are also being reduced, no matter how old you are or if you are male or female. The CG submits that the use of BMI as it may help screen for health problems. Additionally, the ALCOAST referenced how the DOD adopted the BMI, but so what. Why jump on the bandwagon with something that doesn't make any sense?

Now, surely, a health and fitness program is vital. However, it should be realistic as well.

From Northwestern Health and Sciences University:

"Important Limitations of BMI:
BMI does not distinguish between fat mass and fat free mass. This is important because ACSM defines obesity as a percent of body fat at which disease increases. People with large amounts of lean tissue may have a high BMI while having their body fat percentage in a healthy range. In addition, a healthy BMI does not necessarily mean that body fat is within a healthy range.
BMI does not give any information on the location of the body fat which is important in determining obesity-related risk for disease." (Citing ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 6th Ed., 2000 and ACSM’s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 4th Ed., 2001).

Let's back up, ALCOAST 469/08 referenced above states, "BMI is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. It provides a reliable indicator of body fatness..."

It doesn't though.

Here's something else I'd like to point out. The Coast Guard obviously supports the Mayo Clinic teachings (see the Tobacco Cessation Program). So, I went ahead and did a bit of research on BMI as put forth by the Mayo Clinic. In a web article titled, "A Body Mass Index Puzzle", the Mayo Clinic states, in part, "The study results are not an invitation for heart patients to put on weight, researchers said. Instead they highlight some shortcomings in BMI (a ratio of height to weight) as a measuring tool — especially because it fails to distinguish between excess body fat and muscle mass."

Please read the article. It's brief, but interesting and well-worth the read. CLICK HERE

Seriously, read it!

Alright, so what of the folks who are over BMI. They will be body fat tested, the same way they were before, except that the allowable body fat is now at a lower percentage. Okay, that's a little more understandable than the absurd usage of BMI. So, why even waste the time with anything BMI related. What is the point? Members are currently required to have a physical conducted every five (5) years. If there is that much concern over health problems that may be related to BMI, then why not increase the frequency of physicals. Why not every two years or every year?

I am all ears. What are your thoughts on this program and the changes on the horizon?

Becoming a Coastie/Guardian, Women, and the Guardian Challenge

Many of the spouses of the contributors here have gone through recruit training at Cape May. Of course, some have also gone through training/schooling at the Coast Guard Academy. Also, what some of you may not know is that three of our current contributors have donned the Coast Guard uniform. Two are veterans and one is currently serving on active duty.

A quick aside: recently, someone said to me, There aren't really any women in the Coast Guard though. I was a bit surprised by this statement and went on to share what little I knew about those currently serving and a little bit of the history of women in the Coast Guard. The woman I was speaking to was really shocked and honestly had no idea. Interesting, eh? I wish I had more time because I could have shared with her so much more of the rich history of women serving in this great organization. In case any of you out there are stunned by this as well, here are some links for you to enjoy: Academy Women and A History of Women in the Coast Guard.

At any rate, no matter where they endured their training, Coast Guard members surely feel passionately about their training and service. They worked hard to become part of the United States Coast Guard and deserve every honor that comes with that. Nonetheless, as I wrote recently, many are still calling themselves Coasties and are a tad reluctant to wear the title "Guardian". I joked with my husband the other day when he said he didn't feel comfortable about calling himself a "Guardian". I said, Don't worry honey. I'm sure you'll be grandfathered in and remain a Coastie.

In response to that recent blog post, CWO2 Veronica Bandrowsy, Public Affairs Officer for USCG Training Center Cape May, N.J. shared the following with us:

I was reading your blog about the word Guardian and I wanted to let you know that you can find the Guardian Ethos on our Web site at www.uscg.mil/hq/capemay. Also, we just posted a short one minute clip called the Guardian Challenge to our site and youtube that your viewers might be interested in watching.

We're in the process of a modernizing our recruit training curriculum to ensure our new Guardians are ready and able to meet the demands of the fleet, and the Guardian Challenge is one part of the recruit modernization.

Thank you to CWO2 Bandrowsky for contacting us and sharing this information. We have included it in our links on the right for our readers to see.

On an entirely different note, did you all know that the Air Force has a "Guardian Challenge" each year. According to Ed White of Air Force Space Command Public Affairs, Peterson AFB in Colorado:

The competition is an established event within the command and goes back to its inception in 1967. In its 41-year history, it has been an increasingly effective tool that has helped to maintain high levels of skill throughout the command. It has improved readiness and warfighting capabilities through preparation and innovation by the competing teams and crosstalk after the event. Many of the tactics, techniques and procedures used throughout have been sharpened and refined in the furnace of competition. (White, 4/22/08).

Maybe someday we will see the Air Force and the Coast Guard go head to head in Guardians in the Guardian Challenge. Of course, I suppose that since the Coast Guard is already ready, that it's sort of a moot point. My husband asserts that's why he is glad he joined the Coast Guard. He always tells me, I'm not just training to do a job or getting ready for something. I'm already doing it, every single day, and I love that.

And, I love that he loves it.