Welcome to Healthy Thursday! I decided to start the weekly Thursday postings about health, to supplement my healthy First Friday Free Recipes from my cookbook series, “Simple, Healthy, Fresh”, book 1 available now (see tab above) and book 2 coming out Summer 2013.
What is health? Health is what you put into your body and what you do with it. As the above infographic shows, fresh fruits and vegetables that are firm with fresh aromas are best for you. They do so much for healthy skin, muscle tissue, bone and so on.
For my cookbooks, I concentrate on low-carb, low-fat and low-calorie vegetables. Like many people, I have heart disease and diabetes (due to a kidney transplant in 2003), so I have to watch what I put in my body. Also, I know what it’s like living on a fixed income, not having hundreds of dollars each month for groceries, so I keep that in mind as well. It is tough eating healthy on a fixed income, but it can be done.
The other half of healthy living is doing some form of exercise, that makes you sweat, for an extended period of time. You should really talk to your health care provider to discuss any ongoing health issues you have, forms of treatment and what exercise is healthy for you. Exercise won’t help if you’ve pulled something.
As I discuss in the forward to my cookbook, the best form of exercise is simple walking. It is true that a simple, brisk paced walk will do so much for your health: not only your heart, but your entire body, inside and out. The daily recommendation is 20-30 minutes each day. Start out by walking 10 minutes down the sidewalk (or country lane or back of the house), turn around and walk back. That wasn’t so bad! All you need is a comfortable pair of walking shoes.
If you’re further along, find a personal trainer (the YMCA gives two free sessions with a membership!). I prefer the circuit machines, they move freely, less chance of falling on you or hurting yourself. Proper body mechanics are key, so listen to the trainer!
Brick ONeil 