Category: Commentary

“The body is a sacred garment.” 

Martha Graham

     As I age, my concern is that I am becoming more and more like Mr. Potato Head.  Not only does he have a potato head, but he also appears to have an unhealthy potato body.  I suspect he is carrying some visceral fat.  I may have some too, and this can be a problem.

     Visceral fat is often hidden.  You can appear fit and trim, more like G.I. Joe than Mr. Potato Head, and still be carrying dangerous visceral fat.  Maybe we can shed some of this stuff.  I am trying to learn.

     Visceral fat is the most dangerous fat in our bodies.  It is fat that we can’t see, nestled deep inside and wrapped around our organs.  Visceral fat destroys our health, turning our bodies into a breeding ground for disease and discomfort.  Visceral fat can trigger inflammation, pump out harmful chemicals, and wreck our hormones.  And you don’t have to be overweight to carry visceral fat.  You can look fit and still have gobs of silent visceral fat lurking inside your body.

     Visceral fat buildup is caused by our lifestyle.  One factor is diet, not how much we eat, but what we eat.  Ultra-processed foods, sugary snacks, and alcohol all spike our insulin levels and shove our bodies into fat storage mode.  Lack of exercise, especially strength training, is another contributor.  Stress and the resulting cortisol help your body layer on fat as well.  And poor sleep is the icing on the cake for visceral fat.  Restorative sleep is the foundation of good health.  Lack of quality sleep raises your cortisol levels and ruins your body’s ability to burn fat. 

     How can you tell if you are carrying visceral fat?  I wanted to know this.  At 6’ 3” and 200 pounds, I thought I was in relatively good shape (or maybe borderline good shape).  Here are some ways to determine if you have visceral fat buildup in your body.  First, check your waistline.  The waistline test says that if you’re over 40 inches, this is not a good sign.  The height to waist ratio is a better gauge.  Your waist measurement should be less than half your height.  You might also consider the body shape check.  If your belly is hard and round, that is visceral fat.  Soft and squishy is not great, but better.  This is less dangerous subcutaneous fat.  Another clue are energy and cravings.  If you find that you are tired and sluggish, have brain fog, and crave sugar, these are sure signs of visceral fat.

     How do we beat our visceral fat?  We can take practical steps to burn it off and keep it off.  Here’s how to do it…

     Eat Smart – Do not eat less.  Instead, eat smart.  You can eat in a way that fosters fat burning and stops your body from storing fat.  Eat more protein.  Protein boosts your metabolism, protects muscle, and keeps you feeling full.  Make sure you have some protein on your plate at every meal.  And cut back on ultra-processed foods.  Some of the best sources of protein are eggs, meat, milk, yogurt, and cheese.  Also, eat plenty of fiber, fruits and vegetables, fresh or frozen.  It’s okay to eat carbs, just choose whole carbs like sweet potatoes, lentils, oats, and rice.  Your goal should be to eat nutrient-dense foods.  And reduce your sugar consumption.  It’s okay to include some treats that you enjoy.  If your diet is too restrictive, this won’t work.  Follow the 80/20 rule (80% of food for function / 20% you can eat for fun).  And cut back on alcohol, drinking packs on visceral fat.  When you drink your liver is too busy processing the alcohol to burn fat.

     Strength Training – Start lifting weights, three times a week.  Focus on building muscle.  Forget about burning calories.  More muscle equals a faster metabolism and more fat burning, even at rest.

     Manage Your Stress – Do whatever necessary to reduce your stress level.  If you are constantly stressed, you are pumping cortisol and storing visceral fat.

     Walk Every Day – Walking is one of the best ways to exercise without stressing your body.  Walking will help you relax, reduce your cortisol levels, and boost your metabolism.  Shoot for 8,000 – 10,000 steps a day.

     Sleep – Sleep like your life depends on it.  It literally does.  Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.  Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool.  And put your phone away.  No screens for 30 minutes before bed.  Screen exposure messes with your circadian rhythm and suppresses the production of melatonin destroying your sleep.

     Give this a try.  Burn off that visceral fat, stay healthy, and leave Mr. Potato Head behind.

© 2025 Jody Dyer

typewriterweekly.com

“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
Abraham Lincoln

The quest for happiness is part of the American psyche, embedded in our cultural DNA. Thomas Jefferson immortalized this sentiment when he penned the Declaration of Independence writing, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Most of us would admit that the energy of our lives is spent in this pursuit of happiness, for ourselves and others. But there is a real question here. Where does happiness come from? How do we obtain it? Is happiness dependent on our external circumstances or is something deeper involved?
In The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argued that happiness is primarily the result of what you possess internally (your character, virtue, and disposition) rather than your external possessions (wealth, material goods, honor, and the pleasures of this world). Aristotle believed that happiness and a good life were obtainable despite adverse conditions and the storms of life. This was because our good interior disposition can’t be taken from us. However difficult our lives are, we always have control over our interior self. We often don’t choose our life circumstances, but we can choose our reactions to them.
In his classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Frankl was an Austrian psychologist and Holocaust survivor. His riveting memoir describing his extreme suffering in a Nazi concentration camp during WW II is one of the greatest books ever written.
Our attitude is one of those internal possessions that is most important. As the Bar Kays (that great R&B funk band from the 1970s) sang – “Your attitude is what describes you.”
Cicero (the famous Roman statesman) argued that among these attitudes and internal possessions, gratitude was the most important. He wrote, “I wish to be adorned with every virtue, yet there is nothing which I can esteem more highly than the being and appearing grateful. For this one virtue is not only the greatest but is also the parent of all other virtues.”
Why does gratitude matter? Because the spirit of gratitude comes first and forms a core part of our happy life. Gratitude can illuminate the darkness of discontent and is necessary for happiness.
With gratitude, viewing what you have with thankfulness, you are emotionally wealthy. Ingratitude fosters the opposite. Ingrates experience emotional poverty by focusing on what they do not have.
If gratitude is necessary for happiness, what can we do to foster it? And what are the enemies of gratitude that worm their way into our minds like parasites sucking our happiness and joy?
Discontent is one happiness killer. Contentment is the fruit of gratitude. Discontent, or a focus on what we don’t have or cannot have is the opposite. Discontent brings with it frustration and sadness. But the attitude of discontent is a choice, as is gratitude.
Gratitude allows us to see the little things in our world as gifts. A songbird in the window, a sleeping dog at your feet, a cold Dr. Pepper on a hot afternoon, all of these small pleasures are blessings to savor and enjoy.
But what if we want to get serious in our quest for happiness? How can we grow in gratitude and contentment? Here are two suggestions.
The first is this. Instead of seeking happiness in possessions and passing pleasures, engage in meaningful and challenging activities, what the famed psychologist and researcher Martin Seligman calls gratifications.
Gratifications are actions that are mentally engaging and require effort but provide us with a strong sense of meaning – doing things that matter. Gratifications might include actions we consider hobbies, like painting, writing, and creating music. Gratifications often involve altruism where you have the opportunity to bless others.
Secondly, to cultivate happiness consider pursuing a foundation of faith. Recent studies have shown that actively religious people, as compared to those less religious, more often describe themselves as “happy.” Gregory Peck, that great Hollywood actor from years ago (think Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn) once said, “Faith gives you an inner strength and a sense of balance and perspective in life.” To be happy, we need that balance. How do we start? We can all pray. Consider going to church. Maybe open a Bible. That is a good place to start. And make up your mind to be happy.
© 2025 Jody Dyer
typewriterweekly.com