Many of you heard that there was a major fire at the Havey house, and 90 percent of the contents and interior was destroyed. It has been 2 weeks and a day (October 16th - a day that won't soon be forgotten by us) since the fire took most of our belongings and many cherished items. But through all of this, you quickly learn to take inventory of things that aren't tangible, but far more important - family, friends, your health, and ok, even pets! As I'll explain in a minute, even though Medifast can't save your life in the event of a fire, it sure has helped get the nutrition we need in a time when pans, utensils, most kitchen appliances, and just time does not permit preparation of a healthy meal.

Reflecting on the incident 2 weeks after the fact, it is easy to see how having fitness and health matters more in situations like this, most notably on the different types of stress that ensue during and shortly afterwards. Just responding to the event takes a certain degree of fitness. Thinking the fire could be put out or somewhat contained, Julia grabbed the outside hose not knowing how bad it was blazing on the inside. This wasn't going to work, and endangered her own life. Even the dogs got out after the firemen entered, and ran off. Chasing them wasn't easy (that lasted for a minute, since they ran too far away, and too fast). And the stress that sets in afterwards isn't easy to deal with either. We thought about the people affected by Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters, and how this pales in comparison. This perspective helps reduce the potential stress level, and makes us thankful that a) no one was hurt, and b) that we still have our dwelling even if the contents were destroyed.

The many things that have to be done after this kind of incident were unbeknownst to us (as I'm sure most people, unless you go through it), and are nothing short of tedious and time-consuming. From finding a place to live in the interim, to making a list of every single item that was destroyed (down to the last box of bandaids!), sure can put stress on your life while trying to maintain the 'work as usual' modus operandi.

All this gets me thinking about the quality of health and fitness that is so important in helping deal with these added stresses. A poor diet and lack of fitness would add an exponential amount of unnecessary stress to the situation. We've managed to get to the gym 3 times in the past two weeks, while also keeping to a relatively good diet. When you're use to eating healthy and exercising regularly, you can definitely feel the difference if you get off track even for a few days. Having peace of mind and maintaining a level head is much easier when you're feeding yourself healthy food, and taking the time to sweat for an hour. Family and friends have helped with food and meals in the first few days. Preparing meals is not something that time has permitted, so having the Medifast Shakes and Oatmeals have been very helpful in getting some good nutrition, fast.

Now with moving to a rental house, organizing it, going through the potentially salvagable clothes, setting up computers, internet connections, and trying to communicate with everyone again - all requires a minimum level of health and fitness. Let's face it, the more energy and fitness that you have in your life, the better able you are to deal with unfortunate circumstances. I guess the message here is that you just can't put a price on your health and wellness. It should be something that we all value, cherish, and take the time to not just have, but have at the most optimal level possible. You just never know what life will throw at you where you'll be glad that you are able to respond accordingly, because you have the strength, the energy, and the mindset that says I know I can, and I know I will get through this tough time.

Thanks to all who have sent their thoughts and prayers. It's always in times of trouble of difficulty that brings out the caring, good-nature of everyone. Now, be sure you don't wait for an unfortunate event to make you decide to take action to lose weight, get fit, or just improve your health. There's no time like the present!

Dr. Patrick and Julia Havey

Medifast is something we have endorsed and believe to be beneficial in supporting good health and assisting with weight management. Medifast is now a meal plan that has a good balance of macronutrients (i.e. more protein), and makes it easier to avoid the unhealthy foods that are so prevalent everywhere in 'fast foods' (one mistake that many people make in situations like this, but is even more important to avoid!). Medifast is not a healthy lifestyle, but healthy foods (you can get a full meal plan or get specific items) that will help you get to or maintain a healthy weight.

By the way, the neighbors caught the dogs four hours after they went missing. : )