Steve McCombs
I am writing this the day after the Oklahoma City tornado devastation. I spent yesterday afternoon texting with my son while he was in a storm shelter, perhaps 3 miles north of the tornado’ s path. He is stationed at Tinker AFB and, as I write this, is working rescue and response with other Air Force units. Unlike earthquakes, tornadoes can be predicted to some extent, based on the weather patterns that produce them. When you live in“ Tornado Alley” you simply expect them. Many folks have tornado shelters – in fact, all new residential construction in Oklahoma requires one. Similarly here in California, there are building codes relating to earthquakes. Which brings me to the topic at hand: Are you prepared?
We will have a large earthquake along the San Andreas Fault at some point. Dr. Lucy Jones from the U. S. Geological Survey( USGS) recently spoke here at the district Office and stated as much. In fact, it is overdue based on the scientific data. There are also other faults in and around California, Arizona and Nevada that can, without warning, rupture. There are also other natural or man-made disasters that can affect us, and we need to be prepared at home and at work.
What I want to talk about at the moment is the“ Shelter-in-place” option, should you find yourself at work and unable to leave. Think for a moment or two about what you’ d need if you found yourself having to stay put for a few days. Do you take regular prescription medicine? What would you do for food and water? How about sleep? What about personal cleanliness? So here’ s a list of essentials:
1. Three days’ supply of any prescription medicines you take every day.
2. A case of bottled water and 3 days worth of some type of non-perishable food. You might also consider keeping some type of nutrition shake like“ Ensure” or some other brand. These shakes have calories, vitamins and minerals.
3. A pack of baby or personal cleansing wipes.
SAFETY Tornadoes remind us to prepare
The Oklahoma tornadoes have served as a tragic reminder to prepare as well as possible for any disasters or emergencies.( File photo)
4. You’ ll probably want a blanket and small pillow if you have to sleep at the office, yes?
5. You may also wish to purchase a travel tooth brush and other small personal care items that are sold in sizes you can take on an airline. 6. A comfortable pair of shoes. All of the above-listed items can easily be stored in your cubicle or office. We all have cabinets with“ stuff” in them we almost never use; why not turn that one cabinet into your own personal shelter in place stockpile? You’ ll want one that you can lock.
The bottom line is simply this; be prepared. You never know when disaster will strike and you need to be ready, both at home and at work. Here’ s a link to the USGS you’ ll find useful in helping you prepare.
And, as always, drive safe, drive sober and buckle up!
Steve
Cecy Ordonez
BUILDING WELLNESS The truth: Fat turns into muscle; Muscle turns into fat
If you knew that a certain type of exercise could benefit your heart, improve your balance, strengthen your bones, and help you lose weight as it made you look and feel better, wouldn’ t you want to get started? The answer is strength training. Strength training is not only for bodybuilders and power-lifters, but it can benefit people of all ages, abilities, and people who suffer from various health conditions. When I follow up with someone after I have prescribed a complete workout program( i. e. aerobic, flexibility and strength training), I find too often the exercise that is skipped is strength training. Besides the“ I-don’ t-have-time” excuse, one other reason I often hear that deters people from starting or continuing a strength training program is the idea that“ muscle turns into fat”. On the other hand, I have those that are motivated to incorporate strength training and they ask me how to turn“ fat into muscle”.
It is impossible, yes impossible, for muscle to turn into fat or fat to turn into muscle. That would be equivalent to magically making an orange turn into an apple. Let me explain.
There are several hundred different types of cells in the human body( muscle, fat, liver, nerve, bone, skin, etc.) and they each usually come in a few different varieties. Muscle for example has three. One type is smooth muscle( lines the organs and blood vessels) and the second is cardiac muscle( found in the heart). The one we are concerned with is called skeletal muscle. The skeletal muscle is made of threadlike fibers( cells) of 10 to 100 or more that are bundled together into what is called fascicles. These fascicles are themselves bundled by a sheath called epimysium which forms the muscle and attaches via a tendon to the skeleton. Muscles are a very specialized tissue that has both the ability to contract and the ability to conduct electrical impulses.
Fat cells on the other hand, called adipocytes, have two types: brown and white. For our purposes, we are concerned with the white fat cells which collectively form adipose tissue. Each fat cell is filled with a single droplet of triglyceride that occupies most of the volume of the cell. Its function is to insulate, protect major organs and is a means to store energy. The muscle and fat cells are both anatomically different and serve different functions in the body. So where do we get the idea that a muscle cell can convert to a fat cell or vise versa?
The myth stems from bodybuilders. When bodybuilders stop training after a competition they begin to look soft. Although there are many contributing factors as to why this happens, there are two primary ones: muscle size and calorie intake. A body builder in training will lift weights that cause the fragile muscle fiber to microscopically tear. When the fiber heals it becomes thicker and stronger to prevent future breakage. This is what causes muscles to become bigger, called muscular hypertrophy. Since the muscle is metabolically active, the bigger the muscles the more calories it burns even at rest, much like an engine running in neutral. When a bodybuilder stops strength training, they instantly lose the need for the extra calories and slowly the muscle will begin to shrink. Over time the growth factors lessens, as the muscle fiber continues to shrink and the calorie needs becomes even less. If the bodybuilder, who has now become accustomed to eating more calories, does not decrease their calorie intake, the result is a simultaneous decrease in muscle size and increase in fat. This gives the illusion that the muscle turns into fat. The reverse is true as well. A bodybuilder who is religiously training and feeding the body the right foods to support their current muscle mass while decreasing body fat, will result in an illusion that the fat cells turn into muscle.
The bottom line, regardless of what the goal is, carefully monitoring your calorie intake as well as properly training your muscles can bring many health benefits for you. You don’ t need to be a competitive bodybuilder to support any muscle you do build; the secret is in the nutrition. Edward Mitchell, a Civil Engineer in the Asset Management Division, and a 13 years and current competitive natural bodybuilder says,“ Without proper nutrition and supplementation, you’ re not going to make anywhere near the gains you could make had your diet been spot on. With a good diet and supplementation plan, you will increase your muscle mass and lower your body fat fairly quick. I can see why people would think that they turned the fat into muscle, but I’ m pretty sure science has proven that you can’ t chemically convert a fat cell to a muscle cell or vice versa. My advice to someone who wants to start strength training is to go out there and do it. It is intimidating, I totally get that, but you have to take that first step. Once the muscle mass and strength gains start showing, you’ ll be hooked. I guarantee it”.
10 NewsCastle March 2013 11