Tournaments And Your
Health
by Robert Weippert
When you think of bass fishing tournaments you immediately have your
thoughts turn to what lakes, prefishing, time of year, presentations
how is the weather going to affect the fish, and what do I need to
do to make the necessary adjustments to catch the fish. Never did it
cross my mind to ask myself, “Should I be worried about my eating
habits and my health?”
I
have fished in all types of tournaments since 1989, team, individual, club, and
pro-am’s. I was 21 when I started down the competitive path of tournaments. I
ate doughnuts, beef jerky, candy bars, fast food, chips, and any other type of
junk food I could eat on the boat while pre fishing or driving to the lake to
prefish and drank a lot of pop.
In
mid July of 2002, I started
having abdominal pains. I just figured it was something I ate and ignored it. By
the time the end of July came around I could barely walk and was not eating
hardly anything. I decided that maybe it was time to see a doctor. I went in and
the doctor said to me, after running some tests, “You are lucky you came in when
you did because a couple more days and people could have been attending your
funeral!” I was diagnosed with Diverticulosis, which comes from not enough fiber
in ones diet.
Most people do not have any discomfort or symptoms until it has reached a more
critical stage. About half of all Americans age 60 to 80 and almost everyone
over the age of 80 has Diverticulosis. Remember that age does not mean you can
not get this disease and if you have not been diagnosed with it you want to be
able to keep your body healthy. I had no idea this type of thing could even
happen to someone my age.
The
doctor expressed his strong desire to have me hospitalized. I was one week out
of fishing the Minnesota Pro Am Bass tour on Lake Vermillion and I told him that
it was not possible for me to miss it. Under protest he prescribed two types of
medication which equaled 3000MG a day of antibiotics to fight infection and told
me not to push myself. I made it all the way to Vermillion only to prefish
approximately 2 hours out of the 5 days and then realized there was no way I
could fish that tournament. It was at that point I realized that my health was
more important than that tournament or any for that matter and withdrew myself
from the event.
I
thought if this can help just one angler not go through the pain and suffering
of this type of affliction it was worth writing this piece. Diverticulosis if
not caught and treated in time can lead to more serious problems and in some
cases death. To find out more about this and similar diseases talk to your
doctor and visit this site
www.webmd.com keyword Diverticulsis. There are charts about which foods
have good fiber sources and what types of fiber sources there are. You will also
find food items to stay away from if diagnosed with Diverticuosis.
Remember
to always take care of yourself. Eat right, drink at least 8 glasses of water a
day, get plenty of rest, and set up a daily routine that will enable you to
obtain 20 to 35 grams a day of fiber intake which is recommended by the American
Dietetic Association. Fish long, be health smart, and prosper.
Robert Weippert
classicbass.com Field Staff
