Back before the Tour I ordered my yellow LiveStrong wristbands. It has nothing to do with supporting Lance or the the race, it was just that I saw the first ads for them reading the Tour previews in sports magazines. I bought the wirstbands because I do support the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and LiveStrong is the patient education arm and benificiary of the proceeds from the bracelets.
I've been preoccupied with work and the race the last couple weeks, but a few pieces of news have filtered through. Last week I caught something on the radio about combining tomato and broccoli to help prevent cancer. I finally got around to looking up the press release from the American Institute for Cancer Research. Two things jumped out at me:
“We decided to look at these foods in combination because we believed it was a way to learn more about real diets eaten by real people,” Erdman said. “People don’t eat nutrients, they food. And they don’t eat one food, they eat many foods in combination.”
and
“The take-home message isn’t just about tomatoes and broccoli,” Prince said. “The inferences to be drawn are more tentative and a lot broader.”“A lycopene supplement may not hurt you, but the whole tomato can help you more,” he said. “A whole tomato may help you, but a tomato eaten with broccoli will help you more. Tomato with broccoli may help you, but an medley of different vegetables eaten together will bolster’s the body’s different defenses against chronic disease.”
Back to the wristband. I've been wearing it for two weeks or so, and I've been pondering the meaning to me. My grandfathers both died of cancer. I have a long list of family and friends who survived or did not survive the disease. Victor's mom died when he was just a kid, something he doesn't talk about much. Of course I support a foundation that will help those like my family and friends.
But the words, the imparative voice, the command: Live Strong. I keep seeing them on my wrist and thinking...you wear that, Nic, you gotta walk the walk, too. I know well enough that the best defense against cancer is the same as the best defense against every other health problem: a healthy diet and exercise.
It was hot and muggy today, and after a long day at the office I really just wanted to watch the race and sack out. It crossed my mind to order pizza. I looked at my wrist and I did end up in the gym, and I made a vegetable casserole for dinner.
Tomorrow's another day, but I think I'll keep wearing this bracelet.