Energy Express by Marilynn Preston

It looks like we'll have something called health care reform pretty soon. Or not. It's still up in the air, nominated for six Golden Globes and a wonderfully sad movie. But down on the ground, there's an unsettling mix of anxiety, confusion, contentment, disappointment ... and relief. I can't help but take notice because this column has been focused on healthy lifestyle issues for more than 30 years.

Quick! Our year-end review! Make walking, swimming, biking, yoga, dancing — any activity that juices your joints and increases your strength and flexibility — a priority in your busy, hectic life.

Eat real, unprocessed foods that heal instead of harm, that fuel and nourish your body instead of causing it to fatten up and slow down.

Get enough deep rest and relaxation. Don't run yourself so ragged that you depend on pharmaceuticals and Red Bull to keep you going.

These everyday habits are the part of health care reform that you can control.

So who controls the recent spew of narashkeit coming from Sen. Joe Lieberman, whose flip-flopping on the issues qualifies him for president of the International House of Pancakes?

When will the first member of the Opposition Party be brave enough to step up to the cameras, put politics aside and say that, on second thought, the improved health and well-being of the country is more important than making President Obama look bad?

Why did the word "wellness" never come up as part of the public debate?

The perfect is the enemy of the good. That's my mantra for getting through whatever challenges remain as health care reform is squeezed, squished and pounded into shape over the next few hours, days, weeks, perhaps years.

I'm going to pay close attention to this work-in-progress, and I hope you will, too. Meanwhile, here are some thoughts about health care reform you might want to exercise your brain with this week as you and your pals dip into the egg nog:

— Why didn't the health care brainiacs in the White House and Congress ever broadcast the Big Idea of lowering medical costs by lowering consumer demand for doctors, unnecessary tests, pharmaceuticals and hospitalizations? Were they hypnotized by the siren song of the pharma-techno-flomaxified lobby that thrives on sickness and disease?

The wisest route to spending less on medical care is to educate and motivate kids and adults to develop healthy lifestyle habits.

That way, they can spend their money at local farm stands instead of pharmacies and on snowshoes instead of sleeping pills.

— The health care reform bill is seen by many to be a big fat gift to the insurance companies. No single-payer system. No public option. Many more millions of Americans required to go to for-profit insurance companies for coverage.

But hope springs eternal. Here's what could happen: For-profit insurance companies could wake up to the cost-savings involved in fewer medical visits and lower drug use per patient. Instead of refusing claims and dropping high-users, they could keep profits up by pushing workplace wellness and healthy lifestyle coaching to help people quit smoking, lower their stress, sleep well, experience less pain, and increase their fitness and flexibility. This will not go down well with their friends, Entrenched Interests and Big Drugstores, but they are all old pals and will have to work it out.

No matter what happens with health care reform in the Senate and House, it's what happens in your house and in your heart that matters most of all.

Are you taking time today to go for a vigorous walk, squeeze in a yoga class, sit quietly in a serene setting and count your blessings?

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! HE HAS $$$ MILLIONS OF OTHER REASONS, TOO

"Change is never easy, but change is what's necessary in America...and that's why I intend to vote for health care reform." — Sen. Ben Nelson

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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