Medicare changes don't affect cancer care: study (Reuters)

Reuters - Legislation that cut fees doctors receive for giving chemotherapy to Medicare patients has not affected care so far, researchers reported on Tuesday.

What's worse, getting paid less because you are overweight, or not getting paid at all because you're sick from being overweight and can't make it into work?

I'm sure you wouldn't want either option, but the bad news is that many overweight people are dealing with both situations.

A study from Europe, published in the prestigious journal, Obesity, found being overweight and obese were accurate predictors of sick days from work.

Obese individuals were found to have more long sickness-related absences from work even in young men and women. Chronic obesity resulted in the longest sick leaves, particularly in men.

In order to avoid missing work and sacrificing profits, it's a good idea to control your weight with exercise and nutrition. I truly believe nutrition is the most important factor in determining fat loss, and in terms of improving your health.

Fortunately, it's easy to eat for fat loss and health. Stick to...

1) Whole, natural foods, avoiding any processed foods that come in a bag or a box

2) Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day

3) Don't avoid healthy fats, so eat almonds, walnuts, fish, and olive oil to get healthy mono- and poly-unsaturated fats.

4) Substitute green tea and water in place of sodas, juices, and other high- calorie beverages.

5) Exercise with strength training and short interval training workouts. Don't waste your time on long cardio workouts that just leave you weaker and hurt from overuse injuries. Strengthen your body the right way.

This simple nutrition guideline will keep you lean and alert at work, so that you won't miss any crucial workdays due to illness.

Obesity 15:1554-1564 (2007)
BMI, Obesity, and Sickness Absence in the Whitehall II Study
Jane E. Ferrie*, et al.

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Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked bodysculpting workouts have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Craig Ballantynes fast fat burning workouts help you lose fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's home exercise programs help you lose fat without any equipment at all.