Dwarfism Awareness Month – October, 2021

While International Dwarfism Awareness Day is observed every year on the 25th of October, the entire month of October is Dwarfism Awareness Month. One great way to participate in Dwarfism Awareness Day is by learning more about dwarfism.

In 1957, actor Billy Barty and some of his friends founded an organization for people with dwarfism, called Little People of America (LPA). In 2012, LPA wanted to honor Billy Barty, so they created International Dwarfism Awareness Day, choosing Barty’s birthday (October 25th) as the official date.

Considering the complexity of the topic, I’d rather only list the basics and leave you with a few links to some websites where you can deepen your knowledge.

  1. Dwarfism is a condition characterized by short stature, usually resulting in an adult height of four-feet, 10-inches or shorter. For children, this means being below the height growth curve for their age, which would be less than the 3rd percentile.
  2. The terms usually preferred by people with this condition are “short-statured” or “little person” rather than “​dwarf.” The term “midget” is considered to be offensive by the majority of people.
  3. There are several hundred genetic diseases that can cause dwarfism, but the most frequent ones are listed on this page in alphabetical order.
  4. Achondroplasia makes up 70% of all cases of dwarfism and affects about one of every 25,000 to 30,000 newborns. Achondroplasia is caused by a problem with the gene that allows the body to convert cartilage to bone while growing, especially in the long bones. The word achondroplasia comes from Latin and literally means “without cartilage formation.”.

If you want to learn more, I invite you to explore the following sites:

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/international-dwarfism-awareness-day-october-25/
https://www.lpaonline.org/dwarfism-awareness-month
https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-many-types-of-dwarfism-are-there-2860725
https://www.webmd.com/children/dwarfism-causes-treatments

Happy Eat Your Vegetables Day, 2021

While Eat Your Vegetables Day is currently celebrated mostly in the USA, I think its message is so important that it should become an international thing.

It is undeniable and scientifically-proven that vegetables and fruits are an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Thousands of studies conducted in the field of nutrition over the past decades have highlighted the benefits of a plant-based diet.

If you care about your body and want to improve your health, I recommend you increase your intake of fresh, organic vegetables and fruits. To learn more about Eat Your Vegetables Day, please visit the following websites:

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/days-2/national-eat-your-vegetables-day-june-17/
https://nationaltoday.com/national-eat-vegetables-day/
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/eat-your-vegetables-day
https://nextnationalday.com/national-eat-your-vegetables-day/

Some ideas for celebrating Eat Your Vegetables Day are to include vegetables in all your meals today, and to visit your local farmer’s market and get some locally grown produce. If your schedule doesn’t allow it, plan to do so at your earliest convenience.

MuscleWiki – a cool site for getting in shape

I recently came across a website that people who are looking to get in shape might find very useful – MuscleWiki.com.

Just choose your gender, select whether you want to do exercises, stretches, bodyweight or kettlebells training (at the top of the home page), click on the muscle group you want to train (on the front and back of those figures), and it will take you to a page that lists the work-out you have to do, complete with GIF images and text.

Have fun getting in shape! Make sure you read their Disclaimer page and take everything it says very seriously before attempting any type of exercise.

World Environment Day, 2020

Established in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, World Environment Day is observed every year on the 5th of June.

A holiday aimed to inform people about environmental issues and offer them the opportunity to change the habits they have that are affecting the environment and work towards change, World Environmental Day has grown to become a global platform for discussions about the environment, spreading awareness of the effects of human activity.

Since its creation, World Environmental Day is celebrated in over 100 countries and each year, a theme is chosen to help draw attention to a particular concern.

The theme for 2020 is “Bio Diversity”, and will be hosted in Colombia in partnership with Germany. Colombia is one of the largest “Megadiverse” nations in the world to hold 10% of the planet’s biodiversity. Since it is part of the Amazon rain forest, Colombia ranks first in bird and orchid species diversity and second in plants, butterflies, freshwater fish, and amphibians.

You can make a difference by sharing and discussing about World Environment Day on social media.

UN chief on World Environment Day, 2020

No Diet Day, 2020

International No Diet Day (INDD) is an annual celebration of body acceptance, observed on the 6th of May. This day is dedicated to promoting a healthy life style with a focus on health at any size and in raising awareness of the potential dangers of dieting and the unlikelihood of success; the Institute of Medicine summarizes: “those who complete weight loss programs lose approximately 10 percent of their body weight only to regain two-thirds within a year and almost all of it within five years.

First started by Mary Evans (who had battled anorexia in her life) in 1992 with the aim of helping men and women around the world appreciate their own bodies, No Diet Day has evolved over the years and currently brings attention to tough issues regarding diet and body awareness, focusing on a number of agendas. This includes the following:

  • Educating people about the right way to diet responsibly and effectively
  • Having all people take a one-day break from their diets
  • Celebrating the diversity of different shapes and sizes

To celebrate No Diet Day, you can start by recognizing that your own body is beautiful exactly as it is. De-emphasizing your efforts to shed weight to look a particular way, it is far better to celebrate the holiday with efforts at beginning to live a healthier lifestyle altogether. Worry less about your final goal, and more about getting out and being active and keeping your body healthy.

Participants are also encouraged to:

  • Compliment colleagues on skills, achievements, and contributions instead of focusing on appearance
  • Declare a day free of dieting and obsessions about weight and shape.
  • Challenge the idea of one “right” body shape and embrace body diversity.
  • Learn the facts about the diet industry and understand the inefficacy of commercial diets.
  • Help end weight discrimination, sizeism, and fatphobia.
  • Use the #NoDietDay hashtag to share on social media.

Read more about it here:
https://nationaltoday.com/international-no-diet-day/
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/international-no-diet-day-may-6/

World Vegan Month, 2019

Established in 1994 to commemorate the forward movement of the vegan ideology, as well as the creation of The Vegan Society in the UK in November 50 years prior, World Vegan Month is an annual designation observed in November.

According to DayOfTheYear.com, the date was selected to fall in line with Halloween and the Day of the Dead as a way of honoring those animals who had already passed under the unnecessary cause of supporting human life.

The underlying “rule” to embracing the vegan lifestyle is to eat a plant-based diet. The majority of vegans don’t just avoid meat; they also avoid fish, dairy, eggs, and honey, as well as products like leather or fur.

Whether you are interested in veganism for health-related reasons, due to compassion for the animals or to protect the environment, I invite you to check out the following list of links where you can find more about World Vegan Month, so you can make an informed decision in case you want to get involved:

Vegan.org
NationalCalendar.com
VeganSociety.com

Health benefits of eating vegetables

Here is a list of health benefits that you can experience if you include vegetables in your daily diet. Vegetables, along with fruits, contribute to healing various illnesses and to improving one’s health.

Types of plant-based diets

There are several types of vegetarian or plant-based diets. The terms “vegetarian” and “plant-based” can sometimes create confusion due to the lack of consensus in regards to their official definitions. Here are some brief explanations of what the main types of vegetarians are:

Fruitarian: a person who eats exclusively raw fruits and seeds (or whose diet consists of at least 70% fruits and about 30% vegetables), mostly raw, but sometimes frozen or slightly cooked fruit is acceptable;

Raw Food Vegan: a person who excludes all food and products of animal origin, as well as food cooked at a temperature above 105 °F. It includes raw fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains, legume sprouts, plant oils, sea vegetables, herbs and mushrooms;

Vegan: a person who does not eat or use animal products; vegans eat cooked products from the above list;

Lacto Vegetarian: a person who abstains from eating meat and eggs, but eats dairy products;

Ovo Vegetarian: a person who abstains from eating meat and dairy, but consumes eggs;

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: a person who abstains from eating meat, but eats eggs and dairy products;

Pescatarian: a person who does not eat meat but does eat fish;

Flexitarian: one who consumes a plant-based diet with the occasional inclusion of meat, eggs or dairy products;