We're not No. 1 anymore. Mexico, according to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization, has surpassed the United States as the fattest nation in the world.

An estimated 70 percent of the population is overweight, and about one-third of Mexicans are obese. Just one fat-related disease, diabetes, accounts for nearly 70,000 Mexican deaths per year.

"But this doesn't mean our health to the north has gotten better - it just means others have gotten worse, and the dubious distinction of who is the world's most obese nation is debatable," says Dr. James L. Hardeman, who has seen firsthand the consequences of unhealthy habits during his 30 years as a practicing physician.

"For one, we've been fatter longer than Mexico has and yet we still haven't sufficiently dealt with our national epidemic of fat-based disease. Our overweight and obese percentages are neck and neck with Mexico's, and some of this is due to misinformation."

Dr. Hardeman, author of "Appears Younger than Stated Age," (www.jameslhardeman.com), a pragmatic guide to looking younger, debunks some of the myths that aren't helping dieters:

• Myth: Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week is sufficient. Moderate exercise may work for the 25-year-old with a reasonably healthy diet. When we are young, our basal metabolic rate (BMR) rages like a furnace. Unfortunately, our BMR decreases 2 to 3 percent each decade after age 25. That means we have to make up for that decrease with either better eating habits, more exercise, or both - if we want to maintain a healthy weight. For those who are older, overweight or obese, a stronger commitment is necessary, including an hour's worth of exercise at least five times a week.

• Myth: Gaining weight with age is healthy because it's natural. Metabolism slows with age, causing many to put on the pounds. However, maintaining your Ideal Body Weight (IBW), which factors in height, gender and frame size, will keep you feeling and looking younger if you do not slowly gain weight over time. Also, casually accepting some weight gain over time can lead to massive weight gain considering our largely sedentary lifestyles and easy availability of quick, fatty meals.

• Myth: You should drink at least eight glasses of water per day. Humans posses a sensitive thirst center in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which responds to dehydration and tells us to drink water. The amount of water needed for each person varies; so we don't need to target a set amount because our thirst will tell us. However, drinking plenty of water may decrease appetite, and water should always be chosen over sugary beverages for satiating thirst.

• Myth: Diet books keep you slim. "Going on a diet" is one of America's favorite pastimes. Diets typically entail temporarily altering eating patterns, losing a bit of weight, and then going back to old habits. This has created an entire genre of literature, as well as videos, gear and meal plans that have become a multibillion-dollar industry. Really, it all boils down to the I&O (Intake and Output) principle. People who stick to Atkins, South Beach and the Sugar Busters diets lose weight because they limit the intake of calories.

• Myth: Taking vitamin supplements every day makes you healthy. Dietary supplement sales represent a $20 billion a year business, yet the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act allows for significantly more lenient rules for supplements than medications from pharmaceutical companies, which are carefully scrutinized by the FDA. Manufacturers are not required to substantiate the supposed benefits of their products. A balanced diet generally provides all required vitamins and minerals needed, with the possible exceptions vitamin B12 for those who eat no animal products, folic acid for women of childbearing age, and, if blood tests indicate deficiency, vitamin B12 and vitamin D in the elderly.

About Dr. James L. Hardeman

Dr. James L. Hardeman has been a practicing physician for 30 years. Triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, and Critical Care Medicine, Dr. Hardeman has maintained the demanding schedule of both hospital-based medicine and a busy office practice. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from University of California at Irvine he attended Baylor College of Medicine where he graduated with honors. Postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine took place at USC and UCI.

FORT MCCOY, WIS. (07/22/2013)(readMedia)-- Soldiers assigned to the Combat Observation and Lasing Team, "Colt" from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), based in Urbana, Ill., conduct live-fire training exercises with the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery Regiment (2-123 FA), headquartered in Milan, Ill., during the units' annual training at Fort McCoy, Wis., in July.

The two units, who are assigned to different brigades within the Illinois Army National Guard, rarely have the chance to work together despite having complimentary missions. The "Colt" team specializes in accurately identifying enemy locations and calling for indirect fire on enemy targets. The 2-123 FA uses its new M777 howitzers to provide indirect fire support on enemy targets. This training provided both units the opportunity to build proficiency in skills they couldn't accomplish without working together.

"We don't have organic 155mm howitzers, specifically the M777 howitzer in our brigade. This opportunity allows us to call for indirect fire and observe rounds from that weapon system," said Master Sgt. Nathaniel McIntyre of Willisville, Ill., the brigade fires noncommissioned officer with the 33rd IBCT, who also serves as the joint fires observer manager for the Illinois Army National Guard. "We're also helping their battalion train on how their fire direction center is going to work on the digital net to process tactical fire direction orders," said McIntyre.

The Soldiers of the "Colt" team are able to improve their skills using the M1200 Armored Knight, an armored vehicle that provides the "Colt" team with digital communications and targeting technology to quickly and accurately bring indirect fire onto an enemy.

"This training provides us a chance to get out in the field and do our job and work with the digital systems," said Sgt. William McNeese, of Bloomington, Ill., a forward observer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd IBCT. "It's also a great chance to train up our lower enlisted and increase their proficiency," said McNeece.

Captions:

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Charlie Helmholt, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ Sgt. William McNeese, of Bloomington, Ill., a forward observer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) observes artillery fire from the top of a M1200 Armored Knight vehicle during annual training at Fort McCoy, Wis., July 18. Soldiers from the 33rd IBCT's combat observation and lasing team or "Colt" identified enemy targets during the training exercise and then called for artillery fire from an Illinois Army National Guard field artillery battalion.

U.S. Maj. Nathan Westby, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment /Sgt. William McNeese, of Bloomington, Ill., a forward observer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) points at targets from the observation turret on top of the M1200 Armored Knight vehicle during annual training at Fort McCoy, Wis., July 18. The Soldiers from the 33rd IBCT's combat observation and lasing team or "Colt" conducted artillery live-fire training with 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery Regiment during the units annual training in Wisconsin.

Marc Strohschein joins the Elmore Team

DAVENPORT, IA (July 22, 2013) - Senior Star at Elmore Place is pleased to announce the appointment of Marc Strohschein as the new executive director.  Strohschein officially begins his role at Elmore Place on July 22.

No stranger to the senior housing industry, Strohschein brings more than 28 years of experience to his position at Elmore Place having worked in executive leadership roles with more than 30 communities throughout the United States.  "We are thrilled to have Marc join the Elmore team," said Letitia Jackson, vice president of health services and programming for Senior Star.  "He brings a wealth of knowledge to our organization, and we look forward to having his expertise in the quad city area."

Adding to the mix of talented staff already in place at Elmore Place, Strohschein will continue to move the organization in a community and industry leadership direction while focusing on its core values of providing stellar senior care.  "I am impressed with the quality that Senior Star provides.  Their care philosophy permeates throughout the entire organization," said Strohschein.  "There are so many opportunities to do good things at Elmore Place.  We will build upon previous successes to establish an even stronger culture and identity in the community.  Additionally, I look forward to advancing our relationships with many community partners and to identifying new friends of Elmore Place."

For more information about Senior Star at Elmore Place or to schedule a visit, call 563.359.0100 or visit the website at www.seniorstar.com.

About Senior Star at Elmore Place:

Senior Star at Elmore Place, a Senior Star community, features 236 modernly decorated apartments spanning across 20 acres of beautifully landscaped property with many customized amenities to offer its residents in three distinctive living experiences:  independent living, assisted living and memory care.  For more information visit www.seniorstar.com.