Day 3 & 4 -(Saturday and Sunday)

Well nothing much happened this weekend as I will be going to the doctor tomorrow to check out why this bad cold keeps resurfacing... I have nothing to report today and I will continue my journal tomorrow. I will be back in full swing....

I know some of you came to read thinking I had posted something new today but I didn't so I encourage you to go back to my previous posts and read about Diabetes, the types of diabetes and causes

Here were the questions and my responses that I posed on Friday

1. Do I go to the gym? If so, is my workout routine working? Do I do enough exercise?
Well I go to the gym but not as often as I should and I have made a commitment to myself to try harder. I have a couple of classes scheduled for this week and I bought a skipping rope.

2. How much do I weigh? Try this test and figure out what your weight should be http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

Wow..(Did I ask this questions lol) Okay I weigh 165pounds. In other words, I gained a cool 25 pounds which I intend to lose in the next couple of months. My weight for my age and height is supposed to be 140 pounds.

3. What commitments will I make to myself now to make sure I stay healthy.
I am committed to eating healthy, exercising and keeping fit.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I promise a full week of exercise, information and a lot more to help us with the Diabetes Awareness Week.

Love

ChiChi Dike
MNIA, Inc.

Day 2 - May 16, 2008

I was not able to go the gym today because I am still down with a cold and I am hoping to get some antibiotics on Monday. But needless to say, I intend to go to my kick boxing class tomorrow morning so at least I can get my strength and energy. I intend to uphold my commitment of riding on June 14, 2008 to create awareness for Diabetes. Yesterday, I put up information about Diabetes and the different types of Diabetes. I also posed some questions which I hoped you asked yourselves and possibly answered.
My own answers are below:
1. Does Diabetes run in my family?
No, not to my knowledge but since Nigeria does not have good records of family history, I don’t know my grandparents/great-grandparents history so I will make a conscious effort to keep myself informed and stay healthy
2. If so, what kind of Diabetes does my family member have?
N/A
3. Am I fully aware and informed about Diabetes and the type of Diabetes that my family member has?
After researching and writing on this blog, I will say I have learnt more than I knew before.

For the next couple of days, we will focus on the risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes. Suich risk factors include:

1. Obesity
2. Sedentary Lifestyle
3. Unhealthy Eating Habits
4. Family History and Genetic
5. . Increased Age
6. High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol

Our topic today will focus on Obesity, the definition of Obesity and ways to stay fit and healthy

Obesity
The number one risk factor for type 2 diabetes is obesity. The National Center for Health Statistics states that 30% of adults are obese. That's about 60 million people. I know we have heard the word several times but what does Obesity really mean?

Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and other mammals, exceeds healthy limits. It is commonly defined as a body mass index (weight divided by height squared) of 30 kg/m2 or higher.

Although obesity is an individual clinical condition, some authorities view it as a serious and growing public health problem. Some studies show that excessive body weight has been shown to predispose to various diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus type 2, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis
Greater weight means a higher risk of insulin resistance, because fat interferes with the body's ability to use insulin. According to the same study, the number of overweight kids has tripled since 1980. The number of children being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has also risen. (Information culled from (http://diabetes.about.com)

Ways to prevent Obesity
Properly measuring and balancing your calorie intake and expenditures allows you to modify your lifestyle at a comfortably manageable rate until your modifications become new lifestyle habits. You can include all of your favorite foods as part of a well-balanced calorie-controlled diet. You can engage in any activity you enjoy, no matter how insignificant the amount or intensity—the calorie expenditures all add up. Finally, you can trim down body fat at a safe and comfortable rate, and keep it within an acceptable range. Following the correct numbers gives you the ultimate power and flexibility when managing your weight.

Many of the strategies that produce successful weight loss and maintenance help prevent obesity. Improving eating habits and increasing physical activity play a vital role in preventing obesity. Recommendations for adults include:

1. Eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily. A vegetable serving is one cup of raw vegetables or one-half cup of cooked vegetables or vegetable juice. A fruit serving is one piece of small to medium fresh fruit, one-half cup of canned or fresh fruit or fruit juice, or one-fourth cup of dried fruit.

2.Choose whole grain foods such as brown rice and whole wheat bread. Avoid highly processed foods made with refined white sugar, flour, and saturated fat.

3.Weigh and measure food in order to be able to gain an understanding of portion sizes. For example, a 3-ounce serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards. Avoid supersized menu items.

4.Balance the food “checkbook.” Taking in more calories than are expended for energy will result in weight gain. Regularly monitor weight.

5.Avoid foods that are high in “energy density,” or that have a lot of calories in a small amount of food. For example, a large cheeseburger with a large order of fries may have almost 1,000 calories and 30 or more grams of fat. By ordering a grilled chicken sandwich or a plain hamburger and a small salad with low-fat dressing, you can avoid hundreds of calories and eliminate much of the fat intake. For dessert, have fruit or a piece of angel food cake rather than the “death by chocolate” special or three pieces of home-made pie.

6. Remember that much may be achieved with proper choices in serving sizes.

7.Accumulate at least 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity activity on most, or preferably all, days of the week. Examples of moderate intensity exercise are walking a 15-minute mile, or weeding and hoeing a garden.
Look for opportunities during the day to perform even ten or 15 minutes of some type of activity, such as walking around the block or up and down a few flights of stairs.

(Information culled from http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/adult_diabetes/obpreven.cfm)

Questions

1. Do I go to the gym? If so, is my workout routine working? Do I do enough exercise?
2. How much do I weigh? Try this test and figure out what your weight should be http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm
3. What commitments will I make to myself now to make sure I stay healthy.

Thanks!

ChiChi
MNIA, Inc.
Miss Nigeria in America 2008
Live from Los Angeles, CA

Day 1 – May 15, 2008 (Tour De Cure -Diabetes Race Diary)

I would have started this 30 Days to the Race on Monday but I have been down with a terrible cold and I have not had a chance to do anything!

I have mustered energy and will start my diary today. My name is ChiChi – Executive Director/Founder of MNIA, Inc. - producers of the Miss Nigeria in America Beauty Pageant. One of our numerous goals include promoting education and to seek global advancement for the Nigerian Woman. We have a very strong mission of “Service and Commitment to our Community and our vision is to “Empower Women through Globalization and Education.”

Having said all that, June 14, 2008, MNIA will ride alongside the Miss Nigeria in America 2007 – Peace Amadi at the 2008 Tour De Cure that will be held at the El Dorado Park in Long Beach, CA and we are preparing for this race.

For the next 30 days, I invite you to join me on my journey as I work out to prepare for this race. I will also share some important information on Diabetes and I hope you all can learn from it. There are questions at the end that I want you to answer to yourself. Ask yourself those questions and get acclimated with Diabetes and other surrounding things. I have provided the website where I got the information from. Please feel free to surf and provide me with feedback. All this information you can read on the Directors Desk at http://www.missnigeriainamerica.org/v2/cont_about_directors.php and also at http://www.nigerianwoman.blogspot.com

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disorder that affects the way your body uses food for energy. Normally, the sugar you take in is digested and broken down to a simple sugar, known as glucose. The glucose then circulates in your blood where it waits to enter cells to be used as fuel. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, helps move the glucose into cells. A healthy pancreas adjusts the amount of insulin based on the level of glucose. But, if you have diabetes, this process breaks down, and blood sugar levels become too high.

There are two main types of full-blown diabetes. People with Type 1 diabetes are completely unable to produce insulin. People with Type 2 diabetes can produce insulin, but their cells don't respond to it. In either case, the glucose can't move into the cells and blood glucose levels can become high. Over time, these high glucose levels can cause serious complications.

Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a completely different disease than Type 2. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Scientists believe that it may be a virus that triggers the immune system to attack the cells and permanently destroy them. The pancreas can no longer make the insulin necessary to transport sugar from the blood into the other cells of the body for energy. Sugar builds up in the blood and over time can damage internal organs and blood vessels.

Type 2 Diabetes
A person with Type 2 diabetes has adequate insulin, but the cells have become resistant to it. Type 2 usually occurs in adults over 35 years old, but can affect anyone, including children. The National Institutes of Health state that 95 percent of all diabetes cases are Type 2. Why? It's a lifestyle disease, triggered by obesity, a lack of exercise, increased age and to some degree, genetic predisposition.

All information culled from http://diabetes.about.com

Questions

1. Does Diabetes run in my family?
2. If so, what kind of Diabetes does my family member have?
3. Am I fully aware and informed about Diabetes and the type of Diabetes that my family member has?

These questions are intended to help you become more aware about Diabetes and educate about it.

ChiChi
MNIA, Inc.
Miss Nigeria in America 2008
Live from Los Angeles, CA

Diabetes Awareness Week by Peace Amadi - Miss Nigeria in America 2007

Diabetes Awareness Week - St. Raphael School, Los Angeles, CA

I’ve worked at St. Raphael School for almost 3 years now. And as the school counselor, I’ve come to know my students very well. I know how they are doing personally as well as academically. I also know how well (or not well) they are caring for their health. I’ve seen the endless amount of chips and cookies they consume each day and amount of fast foods and fried foods they eat. I’ve heard all of the excuses they use to try and get out of P.E., as if it’s the biggest waste of their time. Consequently, I’ve watched many of them battle weight problems and even become an example of childhood obesity. So when I began thinking about venues for creating awareness around diabetes, St. Raphael School seemed like a perfect choice. After a couple weeks of bouncing around ideas and talking with the school principal and faculty, the 1st-ever Diabetes Awareness Week was set in motion. The Diabetes Week was from Monday, April 28 through Thursday, May 1, 2008.

Monday, April 28th, 2008
This marked the kick-off. When a majority of the students raised their hands in response to the question: “How many of you know somebody who has diabetes?” I knew we were doing a good thing. We introduced Diabetes Awareness Week to the students and encouraged everyone to learn something new. I’d prepared a kid-friendly power-point presentation to teach the kids about diabetes. I wanted them to know what diabetes was, who it affected, and how we could prevent it. I wanted them to walk away understanding the seriousness of the disease, but also feeling empowered that they could so something about it. In teaching the kids about diabetes, I realized one thing. Kids are motivated to learn about “real life.” As the teachers and I shared our personal experiences with diabetes, the students began to open up and share theirs as well. One 4th-grad girl shared that three of her family members had diabetes and that she was scared of what would happen to them. As I comforted her and encouraged her to share what she was learning with her family members, I watched the other students grow even more attentive than they’d been earlier. It was clear they were eager to learn.

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
Tuesday’s theme was “Eating Healthy.” The goal was to emphasize the effect our eating habits have on our health. I had the students create a “Food Diary” where they listed the foods they had eaten in the past week and were asked to evaluate them according to the U.S. National Heart, Blood, & Lung Institute “Go, Slow, & Whoa” Chart – a chart that tells us how often we should eat certain types of food based on how good they are for us. One 8th-grade student ran up to me during break time and shared her concerns: “Ms. Amadi, I had to circle ‘whoa’ on most of my foods,” she said. “I didn’t know I ate so badly.” I assured her that a lot of students were probably feeling that way and that she should use this as an opportunity to develop better eating habits. I also told her how proud I was of her for being honest with herself. It’s often that brutal honesty with ourselves, that ability to look inward, that is the beginning of change.

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008/Thursday, May 1, 2008
These days went as planned as we talked about the importance of staying active and played “Diabetes Jeopardy” to test the student’s new knowledge. Sure, not every one was ready to go be a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association, mixing up terms like “insulin” for “glucose” and “high blood sugar” for “high blood pressure.” But it was clear that everybody had learned something. “I learned that if you don’t eat fruits and vegetables, you’ll get sick,” one 1st-grader told me. “And you’ll have to go to the hospital,” another chimed in, “and you might die!” Wow, I thought to myself. Enough said!

All in all, I was really proud of the way the students engaged themselves during the week. And to my satisfaction, some students and teachers have already asked me about doing this again next year! By doing this, I was reminded that in thinking about how we can “change the world,” we don’t we have to look very far. We are always in some sort of a position to positively impact the people the around us. I’m glad to have started something new at St Raphael’s, something that I know will continue to be of value to the students and faculty. And yes, I will be doing this again next year!

The next major Diabetes Awareness Program is the Tour De Cure Bicycle Race that will be held in Long Beach, CA on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at El Dorado Park. We are Team Nigeria and I will be spearheading this race to continue to raise awareness for Diabetes among Nigerians and Nigerians in the Diaspora. Please continue to check back for more updates and be sure to log on to www.missnigeriainamerica.orgfor more information on MNIA, Inc.

With love,
Peace Amadi
Miss Nigeria in America 2007

To book the Miss Nigeria in America 2007 for an appearance or event, please email Chioma Dike (Publicist) at chio_di@missnigeriainamerica.org or call 310.926.2316