Let's Get Physical

Eat More Fruit

...Let me hear your body talk...

I heard something recently, that due to the worries of our society being turned upside down, the job losses, the evaporation of savings, the foreclosures, the government take-overs and all the rest, people are stressing more and scrambling to find security and comfort by taking better care of themselves.

Depression, anxiety, chronic illness, and communicable diseases are skyrocketing as we descend into the Brave New World. Everyone must start now to make up for the loss of quality medical care that we know is coming when the government imposes rationed health care. This will be particularly bad for the most vulnerable of our society -- children and the elderly.

Here's what hubby and I have been doing for the last several years or so, but now we're being even more diligent about it. We're being very careful about our diet [eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, cutting back on desserts, eliminating most deep fried foods and red meat, and drinking plenty of water.] We exercise more [gym workouts everyday] and try to get more sleep. It's impossible to stop a genetic based disease from manifesting, but taking good care of yourself will help you fight it and prevent the everyday germs and the serious influenzas that are always lurking ready to attack you.

We've recently cut out excessive caffeine [very hard for me, since I'm addicted to coffee]. We don't smoke or drink [interferes with our heart medications] and we really try hard not to let the stress get to us. If that means spending another half hour on the treadmill to zone out, so be it. But it seems to be working, at least a little, even if it seems like life has become a bit more routine than we like.

What are you doing for yourself? Are you eating more fruits and vegetables like our girl above suggests? Do you eat oatmeal every day? Are you cutting down on adult beverages? sugar? fats? nicotine? Do you take the stairs instead of the elevator? Wear your seatbelt?

Try the No-Beef Challenge. It's difficult to do if you're a red meat eater and live with other meat eaters -- but try to do the best you can for one month. It's a great and painless way to lower your cholesterol. All you have to do is not eat beef for 30 days. If you have a partner willing to support you in this exercise, it's even easier. Substitute beef with fish, poultry, or tofu. Check out the Food Pyramid for more tips. Get easy to fix but healthy recipes here. Cook together -- it's fun!

Let us know the one thing you're doing for yourself to remain as healthy as possible. Start today if you've been putting it off, so you'll be strong and able to take whatever life dishes out!

Good luck and good health!