Leader0914b

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Page 1B • The Leader • September 14, 2013 • www.theleadernews.com

Balance in diet, exercise, choices

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Robin Kirk, who won three state championships as the head football coach at St. Pius X, is the co-offensive coordinator at Reagan High. Off the field, Kirk has lost 90 pounds thanks to adjustments he made to diet and exercise. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)

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Legendary football coach loses 90 pounds, feels great by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com Legendary high school football coach Robin Kirk has been a part of nine state championships -- as a player, assistant coach and head coach. During that time, he’s helped student-athletes hone their skills, athletically and academically. But Kirk, a 1972 St. Pius X graduate, said he didn’t take care of his health and fitness the way he should have. “If you’re not taking care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else,” Kirk said. Kirk, the current Reagan High co-offensive coordinator who won three state titles as SPX’s head coach from 1999-2008, counts getting control of his health and fitness among his greatest accomplishments. Kirk, 59, was coaching at Hidalgo Early College in 2010 when stress and lack of exercise had taken its toll. The 6-foot-2 coach

weighed 330 pounds, and it started to affect his health. He visited Dr. Melecia Fuentes in the neighboring Rio Grande Valley town of Weslaco. “She said ‘we can fix this, but you have to start eating right and exercising,” Kirk said. Kirk took the doctor’s words to heart -- literally. He managed to lose 90 pounds without the assistance of pills or surgery, by walking daily and managing his diet. Kirk is down to 240 pounds and plans on losing 30 more. He’s gone from 48 size pants to below 40. He goes for check-ups every six months and monitors his health statistics. Every morning, Kirk wakes up between 5 and 5:30 a.m. and comfortably walks seven or eight miles around the track at a middle school near his Lake Houston home. Kirk said drinking a lot of water and getting at least 7 to 8 miles per day. He even walked a marathon last December in Humble.

Left: Reagan High co-offensive coordinator Robin Kirk pictured in 2010, weighed 330 pounds three years ago but managed to lose about 90 pounds through diet and exercise. Right: A photo of Kirk in 2013 (Submitted photos) “If I don’t walk at least seven miles, I feel like I didn’t do anything,” Kirk said. “When you walk, exercise, and drink properly, you’re going to get rid of your waist (and waste). Don’t eat late -- that’s what put weight on me.” Kirk said coming up with an exercise plan requires one major factor.

“Consistency is the name of the game,” he said. As far as his regular diet, Kirk prefers whole grain bread and vegetables. He stays away from sweets, instead cooking a dessert of oatmeal with apples, blueberries and raisins. “Whole grain bread is where it’s at,” Kirk said. “I put a little bit

New guidelines on PSA screenings target men at higher risk for prostate cancer New guidelines on more selectively screening healthy men for prostate-specific antigen – or PSA – might have men of all ages wondering about whether and when they should be tested and how often, says Dr. R. Emmett McDonald, a practicing urologist affiliated with Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital and a member of the Memorial Hermann Accountable Care Organization. As revised and introduced in May 2013, the American Urological Association’s guidelines for the PSA blood test – once considered a routine diagnostic tool in the early detection of prostate cancer -now focus on men considered to be at a

higher risk for the typically slow-growing form of cancer, he explains. Age, race (African-American) and family history affect the incidence rate of prostate cancer, Dr. McDonald says. In the latter case, having family members who developed prostate cancer in their later years is less of a risk factor than if their incidences occurred prior to age 60. Most healthy men beyond these parameters are usually considered “a neutral risk,” he says. Prostate cancer is a common but successfully treatable form of cancer, espe-

see Prostate • Page 3B

Houston Area Community Services (HACS) founder and CEO Joe Fuentes cuts the ribbon on the organization’s two new procedure rooms on Sept. 4. The rooms and newly purchased equipment – two ultrasound machines and two colposcopes – were funded by the $100,000 Humana Communities Benefit grant in Houston. (Photo by Hung Truong)

HACS upgrades services Houston Area Community Services (HACS), 2150 W. 18th St., hosted a ribbon cutting last week to unveil two new procedure rooms complete with newly purchased equipment, including two ultrasound machines and two colposcopes, which are ef-

fective screening tools for cervical cancer following an initial Pap test. The additions will offer obstetrics/gynecology procedures

SUPERIOR

Expanded, comprehensive emergency care. And still the only trauma center in The Heights. The best choice for trauma care in The Heights is now even better. Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital proudly announces the expansion of our emergency services. By adding nearly 10,000 square feet with the latest medical technologies, we continue to provide the highest quality trauma care right here in our community. So in case of emergency, you know where to turn — Memorial Hermann Northwest.

To learn more, visit memorialhermann.org

of peanut butter and honey on it. One of my meals will have some major vegetables in it. I always have an apple or an orange.” When he dines out, Kirk will go for a healthy option like baked chicken and a salad. Kirk is re-invigorated in his professional career as well. When he coaches, he’s very vocal and active -- to the point that a practice is like a workout itself. “Where I came from to where I am now, it’s incredible,” Kirk said. “There’s a big difference in how I feel when I get up.” If he hadn’t made the aforementioned lifestyle changes, Kirk doubts he could be that type of coach for the Bulldogs, who are expected to win their first district championship since 1959. “I want to coach and teach as long as I can physically do it,” said Kirk, who worked as a Houston Police Department officer from 1979 to 1999. “I’m real excited about being at Reagan. It’s the kind of place you want to be around.”

see HACS • Page 2B

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