Being Healthy

 

If you read this space regularly, this is gonna be one of those “I’ve heard it all before” columns.  I’m recycling an old sermon. Not literally, but the same ideas and advice.

It’s all about being healthy. A little background—I was riding bikes recently when someone I just met tried to guess my age. Let’s just say she missed it badly. I think it was more her eyesight than anything else. I guess, from a distance, you can’t see the wrinkles and all that.

Anyway, I do put a lot of effort into staying healthy—not necessarily younger, just active at my age, any age.

I believe you should exercise daily. That doesn’t mean a 50 mile bike ride or hours in the gym. It doesn’t mean hiking the Appalachian Trail or swimming the English Channel. Although those are worthy endeavors, they’re not necessary. And definitely not for everyone.

You just need to MOVE! I really don’t care what you do (I really don’t) as long as you just do something to move your body. I do think it helps if you get your heart rate up a bit and a little sweat along the way never hurt anybody.

I’ve talked about the resources we have around here. Take advantage of those! If you just go for a walk, that’s great. All you need is a good pair of shoes. No fancy equipment. No personal trainer.

We don’t really do that enough. I’ve talked about green space here before. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind (and it’s backed up by tons of research) that our emotional health is improved by a walk in the woods.

You don’t have to go far to find that. I’ve told you about Jarvis Park. Minutes from downtown Maryville. Twenty-six miles of Greenbelt lacing through our cities. And if you can find a more serene stretch of downtown walking trail than the segment of the Greenbelt that runs from the tennis courts at Sandy Springs Park to Montvale Road, I want to see it.

Sure, at some point, you may want to take it up a notch or two. I’ve preached about strength training as you get older—particularly important for women in the fight against osteoporosis. And things like Yoga and Tai Chi help keep us moving.

I talk often about what you should and shouldn’t eat. The best and easiest advice to follow is avoid white sugar and white flour. And High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Those things will kill you. They are at the very top of what is called the “Glycemic Index,” which means avoid them at all costs.

Yeah, most of us eat more carbs than we should, but after a lifetime of a high carb/low fat diet, I can blame my high blood pressure and atherosclerosis on all those carbs. I just hope that a drastic switch in my diet over the past ten years makes a difference.

Sunscreen. You’ve gotta use it. A lot of cancers start with skin cancer, which then migrates to body parts that we can’t live without. Sunscreen even in winter, when the sun’s rays are still dangerous. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and again, and again), have a primary care physician that knows you by name. That knows your medical history. Have honest conversations with that doctor. They’re trained to

And if you smoke, well, dadgummit, you’ve got to find a way to stop. There’s just no fudge room there. It. Will. Kill. You. Sooner or later but probably sooner.