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Getting a dog is the perfect way to get yourself (& your kids) out walking. No excuses. Bowzer needs to pee. If walking your neighbourhood on a daily basis is not an option, plan weekly walking outings. Pack a light lunch in a back-pack & take a drive with family, friends & dogs to a scenic location and take a loooong hike. Love it!
Whenever possible, especially meat & dairy, eat organic. More expensive yes, but as the word spreads, prices seem to be coming down, especially for seasonal fruits and veggies. If you have room for a small garden or even a few pots (& you can do both on a city rooftop garden or apartment balcony), grow your own organic veggies. You'd be amazed how many plants you can fit into a small space.
Plastics are becoming a controversial subject, not just for their environmental impact (bad), but what they are doing to our health. Plastics are carcinogenic, yet so much of our food and beverages are packaged in it. Microwaving and freezing plastic also bring out the deadly toxins. Food & drink sitting for months in plastic containers absorb them too. Use less plastic. Store your leftovers in glass containers. Avoid processed and pre-packaged foods in plastic. Opt for a reverse osmosis water system in your kitchen, rather than water bottled in plastic.
Honeychrome is right - get off the couch and away from the TV and computer. Make meals an event and prepare them with your family. Before grocery shopping, plan some menus for the week, so you're not tempted to grab fast, processed alternatives from the shelves. Shop your local farmers' markets for the freshest fruits, veggies, cheeses & meats, & you'll be supporting your local farmer too. A win/win situation.
Buy flowers. Nothing brightens up a kitchen or dining room better than fresh-cut, seasonal flowers - herbs too. They make you want to linger in those rooms. They soothe, calm & make you feel good. What could be better for your health than that! Bring your garden inside.
Eat well, walk often for enjoyment, make your home your sanctuary, love yourself. If you can do all that, your health will take care of itself....easier said than done, I suppose.
i am a fitness enthusiast and a biology grad student. walking is not sufficient exercise for someone under 65 years of age, unless you are walking fast enough to get your heart rate up. However, jogging is much much more effective.
I have 2 jobs that require heavy lifting...not bad for a 45 yr old female..so taking a brisk walk is exercise and an excellent way to get my muscles either warmed up or relaxed before or after work...any type of movement should not be shunned or looked down apon...at least we are doing something. As far as jogging...that's great but not the end all or be all.
Hi mom2kids. I like your way of thinking. I basically believe that you can eat as much calories as you spend, and then you need to get a balanced diet as well. That theory does not include Diet, but to live by that theory you need a lot of knowledge and understanding about eating habits and the effect of exercise.
The site www.nutritionnavigation.com (broken link) helped me a lot on that issue, and I have drastically changed both my eating habits and my way of exercising. I used to exercise a lot, but as I got older and I work more I had problems with the weight and all the things that follow from that. Now I am back on a reasonable weight, and I know when I need to exercise or to cut down on the rich food.
Just get out there and start walking, If you expect to loose weight I suggest that you start analyzing the effect of walking and see that in relation to what you eat. (no diet ;-)
thank you!....last spring and summer I walked a total of 275 miles and dropped just a little over 20 lbs...I am ready to go again....lost my human walking partner will have to walk with my boxer rumble....better in the long run...I can't back out on our walks.
i am a fitness enthusiast and a biology grad student. walking is not sufficient exercise for someone under 65 years of age, unless you are walking fast enough to get your heart rate up. However, jogging is much much more effective.
Might want to go read more books and fitness articles, then, because every major health organization out there endorses walking. Running and jogging is nice--but not everyone can do it--and briskly walking for a long time has the same effects as a short run.
Good for you though, OP, for not believing in dieting. Most people who "diet" in the classic sense have never been able to keep their weight down for long. I found that enjoying exercise and enjoying food at the same time is the best combo to a fit, healthy life. Now note: enjoying food does not mean scarfing down half a box of cookies. Most foodies, I'd argue, are relatively thin because they have such discerning palates and high standards that they won't put just anything in their mouth.
Living in Grand Junction, Colorado, I'm very fortunate to live just 3 miles from The Colorado National Monument where I enjoy nature walks just about every day.
On days when I don't make it to the Monument, I usually walk along the Colorado River Trail or along one of the many trails in the Lunch Loop Area which is about a half mile from my front door. Foodwise, I eat one raw food meal a day, and everything else is vegetarian ( vegie junk food included ). I work out with weights every other day for about 45 minutes to an hour. At age 58, I'm in waaay better shape than most people half my age.
Might want to go read more books and fitness articles, then, because every major health organization out there endorses walking. Running and jogging is nice--but not everyone can do it--and briskly walking for a long time has the same effects as a short run.
Good for you though, OP, for not believing in dieting. Most people who "diet" in the classic sense have never been able to keep their weight down for long. I found that enjoying exercise and enjoying food at the same time is the best combo to a fit, healthy life. Now note: enjoying food does not mean scarfing down half a box of cookies. Most foodies, I'd argue, are relatively thin because they have such discerning palates and high standards that they won't put just anything in their mouth.
Walking will burn the same number of calories as will jogging or running the same distance...it just takes longer.
Walking is an excellent exercise for anyone...it not only keeps the body well greased, it really make a person feel good, and enhances one's outlook on just about everything. Plus you get to see different things on every walk.
Unfortunately, wanting to stay fit and healthy and keeping weight down, really does mean getting a whole lot of food you once loved out of your lifestyle and eating healthier. I don't care what anyone tells you, eating healthy takes learning, research, discipline, money (eating healthy ain't cheap), and the realization that most munchies and comfort foods, huge helpings of all that stuff everyone would love to eat all the time has to be eliminated from a healthy lifestyle. Changing to a healthier eating lifestyle is tough, but the trade offs are worth it.
I've incorporated walking into my life as my major means of transportation. I'm just not good for set exercise routines so this way I get in lots of walking.
I walk to the grocery for odds and ends during trips the week. (2-3 miles r/t depending on the store I choose)
My hair cut (2.25 miles r/t)
The dentist (1.75 miles r/t)
Dog Groomer (2.3 miles r/t)
Hardware store (2.7 miles r/t)
Work is easy only .25 miles r/t
I looked around to find local businesses that are within my walking range. I pretty much keep it within a 1.5-2 mile radius of my house.
All around I feel it is a win/win. The businesses I patronize now are almost all small family run places so I support my locals and get my exercise. It took awhile to break the habit of jumping in the car for everything but it amazing how differently you look at things once you have made the change.
On the eating side I walk up to a local farmers market once or twice a week. I only buy produce from there so we are getting fresh local things. It means eating much more seasonally. We adapted to only getting certain foods certain times of the year. It took some getting used to but now it seems like produce is more of a treat than something we HAVE to fit in mandatory servings of.
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). I work out with weights every other day for about 45 minutes to an hour. At age 58, I'm in waaay better shape than most people half my age.
